


Stiles Versus the Intersect

by lemyh



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-05-30 21:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6440548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemyh/pseuds/lemyh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was definitely not Stiles Stilinski’s finest hour. One foot in the window and one foot out, Scott beside him literally trying to push him out, and Lydia in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.</p><p>“This is definitely not what it looks like,” offered Stiles as he tried to subtly finish climbing out of the window.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story I've posted in a while. It's also one that I wrote about a year ago and just now found. It's a Chuck crossover. If you haven't seen Chuck, you should absolutely watch it, but it can be read without having seen it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> (Edit: May 20th, 2016. My computer died and I lost the second chapter. This is going to be marked complete. I'm so sorry!)

It was definitely not Stiles Stilinski’s finest hour. One foot in the window and one foot out, Scott beside him literally trying to push him out, and Lydia in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.

“This is definitely not what it looks like,” offered Stiles as he tried to subtly finish climbing out of the window. Lydia narrowed her eyes and he stopped moving completely. 

“Really Stiles, because it looks like you’re trying to escape your own birthday party,” Lydia’s voice was almost pleasant if it wasn’t for the glare and the crossed arms and the way she tapped her stiletto on the wood of his bedroom floor.

And okay, he was definitely trying to escape, but for good reason. Very good reason actually. He groaned as he hefted his leg back into the room and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Scott, who had been pretending to be invisible since Lydia opened the door, took Stiles’ place and slowly slipped out of the window and into the courtyard. 

“You see, it’s supposed to be my birthday party, but I don’t know anyone here because they are all friends of yours from the hospital. At my party,” he finished lamely.

Lydia heaved a sigh and came further into the room. She shot Scott a look, her “less than impressed” look that Stiles was often on the receiving end of, before she smiled down at Stiles. And in the moment he would have preferred the glare.

“I invited these people here to help celebrate the life of one of my best friends and roommate. A good number of them are female; real live single females, I know it has been a while since you’ve seen one of those that isn’t me. Plus I even invited a few of the openly gay or bisexual guys that I know. Now straighten your tie and get out there. Please,” she added with an arched eyebrow that only spelt danger for anyone who didn’t listen, “before you embarrass me.” 

“Okay Lydia, I’m coming. Let me just get Scott back in here so I don’t feel completely alone out there?” Stiles stood up and turned to the window but Lydia’s retreating remark of “Don’t bother, the party has spilled into the courtyard anyways” made him stop.

So their escape had been doomed either way. Good to know. Stiles could see Scott talking to a girl next to the fountain anyway, so he simply sighed and dusted off his Nerd Herd outfit and made his way to the door.

It’s not like tonight could get any worse, Stiles thought bitterly as he grabbed a beer off of the kitchen counter and made his way out of the apartment and into the courtyard.

A petite brunette girl approached Stiles with something very fruity in her hands. She introduced herself, “Staci with an I”, and then said “So Lydia said you went to Stanford? Oh my God, I knew a guy from there. He was really hot, athletic. He was the captain of the lacrosse team and really smart. What was his name? Jake? No, Jack I think.”

Stiles felt acid build up in his stomach, felt as it made its way up into his throat until he had no choice but to open his mouth and let it out in the form of two words, a name. 

“Jackson Whittemore.” 

This is what you get, Stiles grumbled to himself as he tried to chug the entire beer so that he wouldn’t have to keep talking to Staci with an I. This is what you get for saying it can’t get worse.

\------

“You’re pathetic Stiles.” The words were familiar and the voice even more so. It made Stiles smile and he peeked out from behind the bushes he had crouched behind. Most of the partygoers were gone but Stiles had ducked out almost thirty minutes ago to hide.

Lydia had found him though, as she usually did. She shook her head and offered her hand to help him up. Once he was standing, she led him to the fountain and they sat down side by side.

He knew that she had his best interest in mind, that her constantly trying to set him up with her friends and co-workers was because she wanted him to be happy, but sometimes he wished Lydia would drop it. It made him feel more pathetic than usual, more like a hopeless case. 

“We need to have a talk Stiles, okay? Because some of the girls and guys were perfect for you and you still would rather hide or start talking about video games than actually getting to know them. And I need to know, honestly, because I’m your roommate and your friend and I care about you. This isn’t still about Stanford, is it? About Jackson?”

Jackson, again. Stiles groaned and grabbed a cast off beer and took a swig from it. Lydia gave him a disgusted look, probably ready to recite how many ways that is unhealthy, but something in his face made her stop.

Stanford was usually one of those topics they didn’t discuss, tiptoed around like it was some sort of sleeping giant. And Jackson Whittemore was another one of those topics. 

Jackson Whittemore had done a heinous thing; two heinous things actually. First he got Stiles kicked out of Stanford in his senior year and then he stole Stiles’ girlfriend. That was the only way that Stiles got one over on Jackson, because years later and Stiles now lived with his then girlfriend. The only difference was that Stiles was no longer in love with Lydia. They were better as friends. Better when Lydia could come home from a bad day and Stiles would pour her a glass of wine and let her vent about idiots in the medical profession, better when Stiles could walk around the house belting out lyrics to his favorite music and Lydia joining in.

And it wasn’t weird to live with his ex-girlfriend. It wasn’t weird when she brought home another guy, or those few memorable times another girl, and he quickly ducked out of the house so she could have her privacy. They worked. She pushed him to be better and he pushed her to not be so professional all of the time. It just wasn’t romantic between them anymore.

“This isn’t about Stanford or Jackson. It’s just me, Lyds. I’m not really looking for a relationship right now. Why do I need a relationship when I have you and the Nerd Herd and Scott?” The moment the lie was out, Stiles realized that it did sound a little pathetic. 

Thankfully instead of pointing it out, Lydia simply ruffled Stiles’ hair and nodded at the house. “Scott is in your room still,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Stiles nodded and gave Lydia a kiss on the cheek as he stood up and walked towards the door.

“Oh, and Stiles?” Her voice made Stiles stop. When he turned around, she was standing in front of him. She gave him a hug and got on her tippy toes to give him the lightest peck on the lips. “Happy birthday.”

Stiles thanked her and made his way into the house. It was a bit of a mess but because it wasn’t his idea to throw the party, he didn’t feel too guilty with leaving the clean up to Lydia. Besides, she probably had people coming in to clean it for her.

She was right about Scott of course. He was sprawled out on Stiles’ bed, controller in hand, flipping through the channels without really paying any attention. Once he saw Stiles though, he tossed the controller on the bed where it bounced and hit the floor with a crack. Scott winced but that didn’t stop him. He slid closer to Stiles and put his chin in his hands.

“I’m in love Stiles.” His voice had that dreamy quality that it usually only had when he talked about a great restaurant or a new video game.

“Careful Scotty, last time you said that, you ended up permanently banned from that Taco Bell.” Stiles undid his tie and threw it in the general direction of his computer desk. He sat beside Scott on the bed and tried to figure out what infomercial they were watching.

“But this isn’t me being in love with a burrito, which was still the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth. But no, this is real Stiles, this is the big L-O-V-E. This is a girl named Allison Argent who has this smile and these eyes and—“ 

Stiles interrupted with “She sounds perfectly human, that’s a good change at least.” At Scott’s look though, he smiled and made a gesture for Scott to continue. He opened his mouth, probably to say something about this Allison Argent’s ears or nose, but something caught his eye.

“Dude, have you been in touch with Jackson Whittemore?” Scott’s voice was appropriately confused because the mere thought was atrocious, but Stiles couldn’t fathom where it came from.

He followed Scott’s line of sight until he saw what cause the question. Stiles’ computer had come awake, probably from the tie hitting the keyboard or knocking the mouse a bit. It was open on his email and right there at the top was an email from Jackson Whittemore, no subject line.

“No. Wow, he must have remembered my birthday. Four years later.” Stiles stood up and walked over to the desk but he didn’t move to touch the computer.

“Wonder if there’s a post script at the bottom to explain why he was such a dick to you. Whatever dude. I’m going to go. Allison gave me her number and I have to go contemplate whether or not I should call her tonight or wait until tomorrow and you’re absolutely no help at that stuff. Let me know what Douchemore has to say for himself.”

With a brief hug and a salute, Scott was out of the window and on his bike to head home to his own apartment. Stiles contemplated just deleting the email because he wasn’t sure he’d like anything Jackson had to say four years after everything went down, but something made him open it. It was blank except for an attachment which Stiles hovered over for a mere moment before clicking.

It was a game, a game they had tried to design in college. They’d taken elements from other games that had come out around the time and wrote their own codes, tried to create an all new game, but they’d never really finished it. Stiles sat down and skimmed over the opening a few times before it started coming back to him.

He typed in the command, for the main character to prove himself worthy his opponents, and then the screen glitched. First it was just fuzzy but then…

Then…

\------

“Stiles, wake up!” The tone of Lydia’s voice told Stiles that she’d been saying that a few times. He sat upright and then groaned because his head felt like it was too small for his brain. He’d fallen asleep at his desk again, head on his keyboard. Just like high school. Stiles fingered the key imprints on his face and turned to face the door. Lydia was in her scrubs, red hair pulled back in a ponytail and a worried expression on her face.

“Stiles, what on Earth… nevermind. I snoozed and finally dismissed your alarm because you slept through all three. You need to get a move on; you’re going to be late for work. And you’re constantly telling me how much Finstock hates you being late to work because it means he actually has to work. Now hurry.”

Stiles slipped out of his computer chair and somehow made it into the shower without breaking anything. After the quickest shower known to mankind, Stiles dried everything as much as he could and got dressed in his Nerd Herd uniform. 

Lydia yelled at him to turn off the television when he left as she slipped out of the house. Stiles opened the fridge and started drinking orange juice straight from the carton. He listened to the news with half a mind but something hit him, something made his head buzz. A name.

Declan Monroe. Flashes of images, snatches of information, and Stiles felt orange juice dribble down his chin but he couldn’t move. How did he know about Declan Monroe, a member of the Department of Defense? How did he know that he was in town? 

He shook his head and counted it as a fluke. He hadn’t slept well, because a computer chair wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. It was probably just his brain’s way of telling him he needed to get some sleep.

Stiles put the orange juice up and turned off the TV as he walked towards the door. When he pulled it open, Scott was there about to knock. 

“Dude,” Scott said with a goofy grin that could only mean one thing, “Allison asked me on a date.” Stiles locked the door behind him and as they slipped into the Nerd Herder, he let Scott ramble on and on about Allison and how perfect she was. 

He didn’t think about Declan Monroe or about how he knew there would be traffic on the highway, didn’t think about Jackson Whittemore or not being able to sleep. He didn’t think about any of it.

Except that was a lie because he couldn’t think about anything else, no matter how hard he tried.

\------

Work was slow. Stiles played a few games on his phone, answered calls and helped one little old lady fix her computer (read: turned the volume up). Scott would pop up every now and then to complain about his fellow green shirts, but Stiles knew it was just an act. Not only did everyone love Scott and he in turn loved all of them, Scott was one of their best sellers. Something about the excited puppy way he described their products just made people want to keep him happy.

While Stiles was on the phone with a frequent crier (“it’s like a frequent flyer, only with more tears and less actual importance”), Scott came up and started to slap his arm. Stiles covered the mouthpiece and swatted back at Scott’s hands to get him to stop.

“Dude, what do you want? Harris is complaining about a virus and I’m pretty sure I can get him to admit this time that he downloads porn.” 

Scott jerked his head at the door and muttered “I think your dream girl just walked in the door,” before he slipped away from the Nerd Herd desk. Stiles didn’t even bother to tell Harris that he was hanging up, just dropped the phone into the cradle and tried not to stare.

The girl that walked in probably walked straight out of one of Stiles’ fantasies. Low cut shirt, a skirt that probably made it difficult to move, blonde curly hair, and the look of upmost confidence on her face. Stiles had this thing about confidence, it being one of the things that drew him to Lydia in the first place, and this girl had it in spades.

She smiled as she approached the desk, a smile that told Stiles that she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. She put a phone down on the desk and then leaned forward. Stiles struggled to keep his eyes on her face because while she was definitely presenting herself, he didn’t want to make a complete ass out of himself.

“Is there uh, ahem, can I help you?” Stiles watched as her smile grew into a little bit of a leer before she shrugged and stood upright once more. He let out a small breath but still didn’t let his eyes wander past her face.

“My phone isn’t working right. Not sure what the problem could be.” She arched an eyebrow and looked down at the device. Stiles knew he’d have to look down too in order to grab the phone.

Quick as he could, he glanced down and grabbed the phone. Once it was in his hands though, he didn’t have to worry about making an ass out of himself. He twirled the phone between his fingers before he nodded and grabbed a screw driver behind the desk.

“This model has a lot of issues with that. Let me guess, it turns itself off a lot? There’s a screw right here and… voila!” He made sure the screw was tight before he slid the cover back on and held it out to the girl. She smiled as she accepted the phone, her fingers warm against his skin as she basically caressed his wrist.

“Who knew a screw could do all that?” Her voice was laced with innuendo and Stiles could feel his higher brain function start to make a departure. He fumbled with the screw driver before he slid it into the breast pocket of his shirt. Once it was there, he realized it wasn’t supposed to go there and pulled it back out and dropped it on the desk.

“How much do I owe you?” She pulled a few folded bills from her cleavage and Stiles started to cough. Jesus Christ he wasn’t prepared for all of this.

“No—nothing. First one’s on the house.”

She smiled and leaned forward again to pull a pen out of Stiles’ shirt pocket. Then she grabbed his wrist and scrawled seven digits and a name across his forearm. She blew on the ink to make sure it was dry and then released his arm.

“Call me,” She winked and then, with a dramatic toss of her hair, was on her way out of the store. Stiles coughed again and eyed the number on his skin that she—Erica—had left. 

What would a girl like that want with a simple Nerd Herd employee? Part of him wondered if it was a fake number, if she’d just been messing with him.

“She’s aggressive,” Stiles looked up from his arm and smiled at Scott who gave him a thumbs up before he moved to help a customer.

She was aggressive and while usually that was a good thing, something Stiles actively looked for in a partner, something about this Erica girl just felt too aggressive.

Not that it mattered. He wasn’t really looking for something right now, not that he could bother to tell that to Lydia. He might call the number or maybe he’d wash it off without writing it down. At this point it could go either way.

\------

Later that day, after work picked up a bit, Stiles had made the decision not to call Erica. He even washed the number off his arm before one of the other guys could write it down and make fools of themselves. Scott had seen the freshly scrubbed skin and simply patted Stiles on the shoulder as he moved to help a woman reach something from a high shelf.

Stiles was in the middle of telling his Nerd Herd crew that there was a new virus going around, one you got from going to a specific porn star’s site, and how it was the death of a computer, when he noticed a guy standing a little ways away from the desk. He stood with his arms loose at his sides, tshirt stretched over a ridiculously wide set of shoulders, and a small scowl on his lips. Stiles waved Scott over and told him to continue the speech about the virus, and then he slipped over to the other side of the desk with a smile.

“I’m sorry if you were waiting long. How can I be of service today?” The guy’s lips twitched and then spread into a full on smile. Stiles felt his stomach tighten a bit because Jesus the guy had to have a great body and a great smile. Today just wasn’t his day.

“No problem. I had a small problem with this,” with that he lifted a computer bag that Stiles hadn’t even seen up and then lowered it again, “and heard that this was a good place to get it fixed.”

Stiles gestured at the desk and watched as the guy unloaded the laptop. It was small, compact, and opened without a sound. But when he pressed the power button, Stiles found that it wouldn’t turn on. He hummed under his breath as he reached over the desk and pulled out his trusty screw driver. 

After he closed the laptop, he flipped it over and began to fiddle with the bottom. He could feel the guy beside him, watching him, and part of Stiles wanted to start babbling about what he was doing and maybe impress the guy with his knowledge, but instead he went on with his work. He finally got the bottom open and after a quick inspection of what he was working with, he knew right away what the problem was.

“Ah, simple fix; it’s just a few loose wires. I can run to the back and get it up and running in a few minutes if that’s cool with you? I just have to take it back to the cage where we have the right equipment. It’ll only take a moment.”

And because it’s Stiles, he tripped over his feet as he walked away, carrying the laptop and all of its components in his arms like a newborn child. Thankfully he didn’t drop it. Once in the cage, he flipped a light on and got to work. 

It didn’t take long, because he actually knew what he was doing and he’d had the same problem with one of his laptops before, but when he went back into the main part of the store, the guy wasn’t there.

The employees had dispersed but Scott was still manning the Nerd Herd desk, despite not actually being certified to do so. When Stiles got there, computer under arm, Scott pointed at a slip of paper on the desk.

“He got a call and had to leave. He seemed really put out about it but he left that for you. I didn’t read it but I fully expect you to tell me the gritty details later. I see a soccer mom in home appliance that I’m going to go try my new sales pitch on. Later!”

Scott scampered off. Stiles put the laptop down and unfolded the small paper. That guy had really nice hand writing.

Derek Hale. 925-555-0893.

Stiles flipped the paper over but it was blank. He turned it over once more but it was still nothing more than a name and a number. He sighed and sat down at the computer. He slipped the laptop into one of the drawers of the desk before he stared down at the number. As he dialed it, he let the paper fall into the drawer which he locked with his key. 

“You’ve reached Derek Hale,” and then the tone that told him to leave a message, so Stiles cleared his throat and put on his professionalism like a jacket. 

“Hello mister Hale, this is Stiles Stilinski with the Nerd Herd at Buy More. You slipped out but I wanted to tell you that your computer is fixed. You can stop by any time to pick it up.”

He hung up and then pushed away from the desk and went over to the stack of paperwork that he needed to start on. He leafed through the pages before he found an easy one. As he clicked one of his pens, a shadow fell over the desk. It was Scott, he knew that without even looking up, so he pointed at the paper in his lap.

“I’ve got work dude, what do you need?” He glanced up to find Scott staring at him expectantly. Scott gestured to where the paper had been and then looked pointedly at Stiles’ clean arm.

“You got two numbers in one day; two numbers from two hot people. Why aren’t you running through the aisles dancing for joy?” 

Stiles scrubbed a hand over his arm and shrugged. He clicked his pen a few times and made a few notes on the paper he was holding and then shrugged once more.

“Ever feel like something is just too good to be true? I mean, yes they were both attractive and yes they both gave me their numbers. Although Derek probably only left his because he left his laptop here. It just doesn’t feel organic or whatever it is supposed to feel like.”

Scott nodded as if he understood exactly what Stiles meant by that. Which would have been a feat because Stiles wasn’t even sure he knew what he meant. Instead he slapped Stiles on the back in solidarity and headed back off to work. Stiles looked back down at the paperwork in his lap and heaved out a sigh.

He might have liked to actually talk to Derek Hale more though. 

\------

Scott rode home with Stiles, because he lived within walking distance of Stiles and Lydia’s apartment and didn’t always want to ride his bike to work. When they got there, Stiles turned the light on and moved to drop his keys when Scott called out.

A tall ninja-looking person, covered from head to two in black, was holding his laptop under their arm. Stiles grabbed the nearest thing he could get his hands on, a decorative clock that Lydia loved, and threw it at the person. 

Only the figure caught it with one hand and threw it back. It hit Scott in the groin, causing him to double over. Scott called out, “do something Stiles!” and it spurred Stiles into motion.

He launched himself forward and into the figure, decidedly male. He rammed his shoulder into the guy’s stomach but it didn’t do much to his opponent except make him drop the laptop. Stiles felt it crunch under his shoes and while he was sure he’d cry about it later, he didn’t stop trying to attack the intruder. 

Just as he was about to head butt the guy, which definitely would have hurt but Stiles had done it before, the guy socked him in the stomach and darted out of the still open door while Stiles gasped for air.

So much for that neighborhood watch program.

“Yeah, you better run,” wheezed Stiles as he bent over and tried to help Scott up.

His computer was a goner, but at least the ninja-intruder-from-Hell was gone as well.

\------

The next day when Stiles walked into work, he didn’t have even half a thought that things were about to be different. It was going to be just like every other day, where he worked and dealt with incompetence and joked around with Scott and then went home to Lydia who would ask him if he’d met anyone nice today.

Her face when he told her about Erica, about Derek, had been priceless. Her palm as it smacked against the back of his head when he told her what he’d done with both numbers hadn’t been as priceless since she did it so often.

Stiles sat at the Nerd Herd desk with the left over paperwork from the day before and bobbed his head to the music playing over the PA system. Every now and then he’d grab his drink from the table or fish out some chips from one of the desk drawers that was definitely not supposed to have food in it. It was another slow day, with no one needing his immediate assistance, in the store or at their place.

Just as he was about to go on break, he caught a glimpse of someone walking towards the desk. When he raised his head to give them his whole attention, he found himself face to face with Erica’s chest. He coughed and rolled the chair backwards so that he could stand up and not feel like he was looking at her cleavage. Again.

“Oh. Hi. How can we help you today?” 

Erica leaned over the desk and braced herself on her elbows as she played with his tie. She said, in a low and sensual voice, “I think there’s something wrong with my phone because I never got your call.”

And wow, it had actually been her number? Stiles was a little surprised by that. He laughed, pulled away from her, and smoothed a hand down his tie. He needed to figure out how to handle this because he was definitely not used to someone so attractive talking to him, flirting with him. He could handle this though. 

“Uh, about that…” 

The words trailed off because the doors to the store slid open and Derek Hale started to walk through them. Stiles felt a little light headed. This kind of stuff just didn’t happen to him, to anyone. Except, he had to remind himself, that Derek hadn’t actually given him his number. Derek had given his number to the employee of the Nerd Herd who had his laptop.

Stiles was still pretty sure he was screwed just on principle. 

Derek slid up to the desk and barely cast Erica (or her cleavage or her never ending legs or her everything) a look before he smiled at Stiles. And fuck, there was that smile again. 

“You called me.” And fuck fuck. Stiles watched as Erica narrowed her eyes at Derek and then, in a flash like it wasn’t there, she was smirking again. Stiles wouldn’t have noticed but he was used to the micro changes in expression from being best friends and roommates with Lydia for as long as he had been.

“Yes, I called you. About the laptop. One moment.” He bent down to get into the drawer and to give himself a momentary reprieve. Two hot people, and they were definitely both very hot, in the vicinity with both of their full attentions on him. 

When he finally pulled the laptop and the little slip of paper that rested on the top, he could have sworn that he saw Derek and Erica looking at each other. But it had been quick if it had been there at all. He put the laptop down on the counter in front of Derek and tried to smile. 

“Here you go, all fixed. And free of charge because the first one is on the house.” Derek smiled and accepted the laptop. He tucked the slip of paper into his pocket and turned to leave.

Well that answered that. Derek had definitely only given Stiles his number for the laptop. He glanced over at Erica and saw that she was smirking at him again. He smiled back, a little afraid of how this was going to go, and took a brief step forward.

“I didn’t call. While I’m flattered, I’m just not really… interested right now.” She narrowed her eyes at him but never stopped smirking. Finally, after a time Stiles was fairly certain she was about to reach over the desk and deck him, she shrugged a shoulder.

“Well here it is again, just in case you change your mind. Call me, even if you’re just looking to blow off a little steam.” She wrote her number down on a piece of paper from the Nerd Herd desk and slid it across the counter. He accepted it, even put it in his pocket, but he had no intention of calling it.

It had become a little bit of the norm for people to just have casual relationships and it just wasn’t something Stiles was interested in. He grew up with two parents that were so in love that they could barely see anything outside of their little bubble. When his mom died, his dad had gotten depressed but he threw himself into work and into being the best father he could. 

He was still a good father but once he’d retired from sheriff life, he’d moved off to the coast to enjoy the sun and sand and waves. They talked on the phone often, visited each other a little more sporadically, but it was good. Stiles loved his dad and he wanted what his parents had had.

It was hard to explain that to prospective dates though, that he was looking for something real. No one wanted that pressure going into something. That was the reason Stiles couldn’t be with Erica, even just to blow off some steam; because he couldn’t see that with her.

Mostly because she scared him a little.

Thirty minutes or so after the awkward encounter, Stiles was exhausted from the number of people he had helped. There had been a huge influx of customers that needed help with everything from the simple fixes to him placing their items in the cage to be fixed as soon as possible. Scott came by once to check on him but then he was done for the day and slipped out of the store to daydream about Allison probably.

Stiles still had a few hours left, most of which would be spent in the cage now that another employee could take over the desk and he could work on some of the items. He was about to head that direction when he saw a familiar face.

Derek slipped through a few customers and no one seemed to notice he was even nearby. It was strange because someone that attractive definitely should have been noticed but he moved quietly and without drawing attention to himself. When he approached the desk, Stiles smiled and tried to remind himself: this was just a customer, not a potential date. He wasn’t interested.

“I’m sure this is a little forward but I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me.” Derek’s voice was sure, calm. There was not even a hint of hesitance on his face. Stiles felt warm all over, was sure that his face was probably even turning a little pink.

“A date? I pick you up, we go out to eat, maybe catch a movie or something afterwards. What do you say?”

Stiles weighed it over in his mind, the thought of going on a date with someone like the guy that stood in front of him. He was sure of himself, confident, and that was definitely a plus. And he’d come back just to ask him out.

There was only one way Stiles could respond to something like that.

“Do you like Indian food?”

\------  
Stiles held up the same shirt he’d already looked at three times before he hung it back up. It usually didn’t take him long to get dressed, partly because he spent most of his time in his Nerd Herd uniform. Outside of that though it still didn’t take him long to get dressed. Now though, now he needed to dress to impress.

He didn’t hear Lydia walk in but he didn’t jump when she appeared in the mirror. Her face was judging but he wasn’t about to let that stop him.

“What, does your weekly video game with Scott have a different dress code than usual?” Lydia said drily. Stiles laughed shortly before he ran a hand over the back of his head and probably messed up his hair.

Not that you’d be able to tell.

“Actually, if it matters, I have a date.” Stiles grabbed another shirt and started to put it on but Lydia slapped his arm and pulled it from him. Her eyes widened and she started to smile.

“A date? With an actual person?” She started to flick through his wardrobe with a frown and Stiles sat on the bed and let her do her thing.

“You remember how I mentioned the guy yesterday? Well he came back in today to get the laptop and then came back to ask me out.” Stiles purposefully left out the Erica thing because he still hadn’t really figured that one out yet. 

“And you thought he wasn’t interested,” sang Lydia as she pulled out a plain white button up shirt. When he put it on, she helped him roll up his sleeves and then told him to tuck it into his jeans.

“Thanks Lyds. I was just going to throw on a shirt and go but if you saw this guy, you’d understand why I want to impress him.”

Stiles ran a hand through his hair and then slipped his shoes on. They’d agreed to meet at a nice Indian restaurant and then to go to this smaller club to catch a live show from some small time band after they ate. Stiles felt a little weird taking the Nerd Herder on a date but it wasn’t like he had another option. Unless he wanted to take the bus and really make an impression.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Stiles; any guy, or girl, would be very lucky to have someone like you. He could be God’s gift to mankind and he still better do everything to deserve you.”

And that’s why Stiles felt so comfortable with Lydia; because no matter how crazy things were, living with your ex-boyfriend, she always knew how to put him at ease. She kissed his right cheek and then slapped his left cheek lightly. 

“If you plan on putting out on the first date, you better bring a condom,” advised Lydia as she slipped out of the bedroom. 

Stiles laughed, hadn’t even entertained the thought that they might sleep together, before he discreetly checked his wallet. Once he confirmed that he still had one in there, he grabbed his jacket and keys and headed into the living room.

“I’ll try to be quiet on my way in,” Stiles offered as he stowed his wallet back in his pocket. Lydia smiled and nodded, absent mindedly as she was already immersed in a medical journal.

“Alright then, wish me luck I guess.” He tossed Lydia a wave as she uttered the words back to him and slipped out of the house.

He slipped into the driver’s side of the Nerd Herder and took a deep breath. It was just a date. With a really attractive guy.

He could totally do this.

After he parked his car, Stiles dusted off his pants and made sure his hair still looked okay before he started towards the restaurant. As he got closer, he spotted Derek leaning against the wall and watching him. Stiles made his way over to Derek and smiled.

“Hope you weren’t waiting too long,” asked Stiles as he glanced at his watch. He was on time, which was pretty surprising.

Derek shook his head and glanced at the door before he admitted in a low voice, “No, but when I saw you weren’t here yet, I thought I’d wait. I’m not a fan of sitting alone in restaurants.”

Stiles couldn’t blame him for that and after an awkward dance of “you first, no you first” to get into the restaurant, Derek finally simply pulled the door open for Stiles who laughed and offered a nod in thanks. The hostess, Marina, recognized Stiles and gave him a not-so-subtle thumbs up when she saw Derek beside him. She grabbed two menus and told them to follow her.

At their booth, Marina left them with their menus and the promise that their waitress would be there soon. Stiles opened the menu but shut it just as quickly. Derek noticed and raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he continued to peruse his own menu.

“Hi, I’m Hannah and I’ll be your waitress this evening. Are we ready to order or do we just want drinks for now?” Hannah pulled a pad and a pen from her apron and looked between Stiles and Derek with a smile on her face. Stiles looked at Derek and watched him shut his menu and nod.

“I guess we’re ready,” started Stiles, “I’ll get –“

“You’re usual Stiles?” Hannah interrupted with another smile. Stiles nodded and handed her his menu. Derek ordered his own meal and handed his menu over as well.

“A usual order, huh?” Derek sounded curious rather than mocking so Stiles nodded. Before he could say anything though, Hannah interrupted once more.

“He’s ordered the same thing every time he’s come in here for the past two years. We’ve tried to get the manager to rename it the Stiles but he hasn’t budged yet. We’re working on it.”

And with another bright smile, Hannah was off to give their orders to the kitchen. Stiles rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and laughed. He shifted a little in his seat as he said “Well it’s not like tonight become any more embarrassing.” 

Derek just smiled and ducked his head. It was quiet for a few moments as Hannah brought their beers to them. Stiles took a quick sip and then decided that a date wasn’t a date without conversation.

“So what brings you to Beacon Hills?” 

Derek had looked up when Stiles spoke and he seemed to ponder the question before he answered, “I am looking into some job opportunities.”

Which was vague; he didn’t offer what kind of opportunities, what he did. Stiles was going to ask for clarification but Hannah came up to deliver their food. She winked at Stiles and then stepped away. 

And this was a defining moment for him. If Derek didn’t like the food at this restaurant, he wouldn’t be able to continue the date. Stiles had very strong feelings about this place. He watched as Derek took a bite, watched as he closed his eyes and seemed to savor the flavor. Satisfied, Stiles took a bite of his own meal and tried not to make any noise.

When he opened his eyes— and when exactly did he close his eyes?—he saw Derek staring at him. 

“Did I pass the test?” queried Derek with a smirk. Stiles flushed and took another long drag from is beer. The condensation on the bottle made it feel like it was going to slip from his fingers so he put it back on the table and leaned back in the booth.

“Favorite band, favorite movie, favorite sports team. Go.”

Derek laughed and took another couple of bites before he answered.

“Honestly I’m not sure I have a favorite anything. I don’t have time to listen to a lot of music or watch movies. I can’t even remember the last time I watched any kind of sporting event. Except I caught the Olympics.”

Stiles ducked his head so that Derek wouldn’t be able to see his ridiculously fond smile. He shook his head and faked a deep, disappointed sigh. 

“Well, that’s that then. Date over.” He pretend to put his napkin on the table and start to get up, but Derek grabbed his wrist and smiled at him.

Even if he had been planning on leaving, he wouldn’t have been able to leave after that smile. And he couldn’t help but wonder if Derek knew exactly what that particular smile did to him.

“Don’t I get points for honesty?” And that was Derek playing along. Stiles bit his lip, utterly amused at the turn of events, and put his hand on his chin to pretend to think.

“Points for honesty but I’m not sure it’ll even out over the number of points taken away for not having a favorite band, movie, or sports team.” 

Stiles took a nonchalant sip of his beer, watched and waited to see what Derek’s next move would be. It was quite obvious that he wasn’t actually going to leave, but he wanted to know where Derek would take it. Would he brush it off, start a new topic? Would he keep it up? 

Derek leaned forward, eyes bright with laughter, and nearly purred “I guess you’ll just have to teach me, won’t you?”

Since Stiles’ natural response to flirting was to take a deep breath or cough, Stiles started to choke on his beer. Derek laughed and waited for Stiles to regain his breath before he offered him a bite from his plate.

There weren’t many ways to win Stiles over but offering him food was one of those ways.

After that the dinner went pretty easy. They talked about little things, about Stiles’ family and friends and how his roommate was his ex-girlfriend. Derek hadn’t even seemed concerned about that which was something Stiles had dealt with a few of his previous potential partners. They’d heard that his roommate was his ex and hightailed it out of town. Derek didn’t even bat an eyelash, just asked what Lydia was specializing in in med school.

Once the meal was over, Derek paid the bill (“Hey, I asked you out, remember? You can get the cover charge at the club.”) and they stepped out of the restaurant and into the night air. The club was just down the street so the agreed to walk. 

It was a nice night, a soft breeze in the air. Stiles felt Derek bump into his arm a few times but every time he peeked at him, Derek was focused on the sidewalk in front of them. For a moment Stiles rejected the idea of grabbing hold of Derek’s hand but he realized that the date was going pretty well and if Derek didn’t want it, he would probably let him know.

So with that in mind, Stiles slowly intertwined his fingers with Derek’s. He watched Derek for a sign that he was uncomfortable but the man simply smiled and squeezed Stiles’ fingers with his own. Hands clasped, they made their way to the club where Stiles paid for them to get in. 

Stiles got Derek’s drink order and then made his way up to bar. He ordered two beers and turned to watch Derek while the bartender got their drinks. Under the play of lights, Derek simply scanned the room and then looked back at Stiles. Derek then marched over to where Stiles was, put their drinks on a small table, and pulled him onto the dance floor.

“Oh, no, I thought we were just going to listen to the band? I’m not much of a dancer.” But Stiles’ pleas fell on deaf ears. Derek simply pulled Stiles close and started to move against him.

And while Stiles wasn’t big on dancing, this was different. Mostly because it didn’t feel like dancing; felt more like foreplay. Derek hands would be on his neck then disappear only to appear on his hips. The way he moved against Stiles made him super focused, but on the small things.

He focused on the way Derek’s skin felt warm to the touch when Stiles touched his arms, the way his body seemed to come and go in waves that were driving Stiles crazy. Stiles reached out to pull Derek closer, but Derek grabbed Stiles’ hand and started to pull him towards the exit.

“Whoa, I mean, I’m not saying I’m not interested on the first date—“ but Stiles’ words were drowned out between the music and then Derek’s voice, loud and firm in his ear, “Let’s get a move on Stiles, now.”

He pulled them out of the club, past all of the people that were going in. Derek looked around before he continued to pull Stiles back the way they’d come. When they’d come down this way, they’d been holding hands, but things were different now. It felt different, not like he was on a date. He felt like he was running for his life.

“Derek, what’s going—“ The words were cut off as they reached the Nerd Herder. Derek moved to the driver’s side and asked for the keys but Stiles hesitated. “We aren’t really supposed to let other people drive the company car. Insurance issues and… how did you get in my car?”

Because Stiles had the keys in his hand but Derek was in the driver’s seat. He opened the passenger door and leaned to look up at Stiles. “Get in the car Stiles,” demanded Derek in a voice that brokered no objections. But Stiles had been objecting to demands for his entire life.

However something caught his eye. A black Sedan was hurtling towards them. Stiles made a noise and jumped into the Nerd Herder. Derek slammed the car into reverse and peeled out of the parking lot before Stiles had even shut the door.

“What’s going… Derek, what in the hell is going on? What are you involved in?”

It made sense. No one as attractive as Derek didn’t have skeletons in their closet. And of course those skeletons had to come out on their date. Stiles felt like his skin on fire, a reaction to the adrenaline. He peeked behind them and saw that the Sedan was gaining on them. 

Despite the fear, despite the fact that their date was ruined, despite the fact that Stiles’ dad was an ex sheriff and would definitely have words to say, Stiles took a deep breath and blurted “Left, left, turn left!”

Derek didn’t even acknowledge Stiles’ contribution, but he turned left. The tiny Nerd Herder could fit through the alleyways, which Stiles had tested on the way back from an install once or twice, but a huge Sedan wouldn’t make it. Derek navigated them through a series of confusing alleyways and came to a stop in the middle of the road.

“You need to listen to me. Those people are from the NSA and they are after you.” Derek kept alert, barely even glanced at Stiles, as he dropped the Earth shattering news. Stiles shook his head and started to try to unbuckle so he could leave but Derek darted his hand out and grabbed Stiles’ wrist.

“You are flipped, okay? NSA in Beacon Hills? After me? I’m just a Nerd Herder at a Buy More. I mean I have some unpaid parking tickets, but they don’t send the NSA after traffic violators. I think they have more important things to look into, like terrorists!”

Derek opened his mouth but a flash of light and then the Nerd Herder was being thrown forward. A jerk forward, the seatbelt being the only thing keeping him from bashing his head against the dashboard, and Stiles glanced to see the tail lights of the Sedan as it rushed past them. 

Then Derek was there at his door. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut Stiles’ seat belt which had locked and he couldn’t move. Once Stiles was free, Derek started to pull him towards one of the high rises. While Stiles tried to ask what was going on, why supposedly NSA Sedan just tried to kill them, Derek pulled out his phone.

“Now is not the time to try to beat your high score on Fruit Ninja!” 

Derek shot Stiles a stern look before he barked into the phone, “Isaac, we need an evac now. Track location, we’re going for higher ground.”

Once more he was pulling Stiles along behind him. Stiles could feel his heart slamming in his chest, adrenaline and fear warring for the primary spot. They broke into the building, an office building with no security if the fact that Derek could break in so easily was anything to go by, and quickly took the stairs to the roof. Stiles followed Derek who no longer had a grip on his wrist.

He should turn, he should run. Whatever Derek was messed up with, it didn’t need to drag Stiles down with it. But Stiles couldn’t help it, followed Derek up the stairs and then onto the roof. He was so lost in thought that he almost missed Derek’s question.

Almost.

“How well do you know Jackson Whittemore?” They were on the roof, a beautiful landscape stretching out on all sides of them, but Stiles couldn’t see it. He couldn’t see more than Derek in front of him asking him questions about his ex-roommate.

“How do… how do you know Jackson?!” Stiles took one step forward and then a few more backwards as Derek turned around to stare at him.

“We worked together in the CIA. Answer the question.”

Stiles felt a little dizzy, a little off kilter. No, no, it wasn’t possible. He said as much and then continued with: “Jackson Whittemore wasn’t a spy, he was a lacrosse star, he was from Maryland, he didn’t… he wasn’t a spy!”

But Derek was on him in moments, hands wrapped around Stiles’ elbows and keeping him focused. “He was a spy,” Derek’s voice was harsh and winded from the run, “A rogue spy that stole something. I need to know if he tried to contact you.”

Stiles shook his head, hands sweaty and heart in his throat. This didn’t feel like a joke.

“I haven’t talked to Jackson since… no. Wait. He sent me an email. On my birthday.” Derek released Stiles’ arms and took a few steps back. He nodded and told Stiles to continue. Stiles took a deep breath and shook his head again. He explained further, “He sent me an email and it was based on a game we tried to build in college. I opened it. It was some words and then lots and lots of pictures.”

“You opened it?” questioned Derek as he moved back a bit more. Stiles nodded and then looked up at Derek, felt a shred of doubt curl up in his stomach. If the CIA, if the NSA were involved…

“Was I not supposed to see those pictures?”

Derek glanced behind Stiles and took a deep breath. Before he could say anything, although he kept looking significantly at Stiles as if he should understand what those raised eyebrows meant, there was another voice on the rooftop.

“This is sweet, but it’s finished. Hand him over Hale, he belongs to the NSA.” That voice unaccompanied by flirtation and innuendo was still plenty familiar. Stiles glanced over his shoulder and saw Erica. She wore a suit, had a gun loose in her hand.

Oh wow. Didn’t Stiles feel like an idiot.

“Great. Both of you are government agents. Of course,” muttered Stiles, “why would two attractive people actually be interested in me.” Stiles didn’t catch Derek’s look because Erica had stepped into view and Derek then raised his gun to point at… at Stiles?! “Derek?” He questioned softly.

“The CIA is getting him first and if you take another step Reyes, I’m going to shoot.”

Stiles shook his head because no, this could not be happening. He watched as Erica leveled her gun at Derek coolly and shrugged off the potential shooting.

“You shoot him, I shoot you, I get out of this messed up town. Maybe I’ll even stop for Indian on my way out.”

It was a dig at the two of them, at their date. Stiles looked between Erica who had her gun pointed at Derek, and Derek who still had his gun trained on Stiles. Neither of them even looked at him. He took a breath, a moment to center himself, before he darted away from the two of them.

Maybe he could get away, maybe he could get to the cops and tell them what was going on. Not that he fully understood what was going on.

He heard Derek’s voice call to him, heard Erica say something, but Stiles stopped short of the door to the stairs. He’d skimmed over the buildings nearby when they’d first gotten up there, focused a little more on the sky and stars and scenery, but there it was. A large building, slightly smaller than the one they were currently on. A hotel.

Flashes of explosions, a face he didn’t recognize, and then Declan Monroe once more. He knew without a doubt what he was seeing, what it meant, but he didn’t understand how he knew.

“They’re going to kill him,” exclaimed Stiles out loud. His heart thundered in his chest for a whole new reason. He heard Erica ask who and he felt his lips move without his permission. “Declan Monroe, the Department of Defense guy. He’s giving a speech and…” He turned around and saw some confusion, disbelief on both of their faces. Derek still had his gun on him, Erica still had hers pointed at Derek. At least nothing changed in that regard.

“I don’t understand what’s going on but I can see things. I remember things that I don’t know how I remember them. And I know without a doubt that that guy is going to be blown up.”

Their disbelief didn’t change, although Derek took a step forward. Stiles shook his head, held his hands up and continued. “No, listen to me. The NSA had blueprints of a hotel, that hotel. And the CIA? You guys intercepted a file that had bomb schematics from a Serbian bomb maker. The bomb is in the hotel. I don’t know how I know but it is!” 

In an instant, Erica pointed her gun at Stiles. In the same instant Derek pointed his gun at Erica.

“He was working with Jackson,” Erica’s voice was hardened, but Derek countered with, “No, he opened Jackson’s email.”

Erica turned to look at Stiles who didn’t understand what it mattered. Derek took a step forward, his gun never leaving Erica. “Stiles, listen to me,” volunteered Derek. “That email, those pictures? They were encoded with secrets, government secrets. You saw them which means they are all in your head now.”

Stiles thought back to the email, to the pictures he saw. Oh god. His mouth lost all moisture and he struggled to swallow. “There were thousands of pictures.”

Thousands of pictures, thousands of secrets. All in his head. Erica muttered, “All of our government secrets are in Nerd Herd’s head? Great,” but Stiles barely heard her.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the images, about the flashes he’d gotten since he’d opened the email. The pictures, the secrets, the things he couldn’t have remembered because he hadn’t known them in the first place.

“Is there enough time to defuse the bomb?” Derek questioned firmly. Stiles blinked and looked up at the two government agents and felt his body start to shake.

“Oh no, I can’t… I can’t help. I’m just a guy in retail. Get Jackson, he can help you, he’s the spy,” but Derek interrupted with “Jackson’s dead. He died sending that email. And now you are the computer.”

Jackson was dead. Stiles may have hated the guy but he didn’t wish for that. And what was this about him being a computer? He shook his head, everything threatening to topple inwards, but Erica’s voice encroached on his panic. 

“Is there enough time to defuse the bomb Stilinski?” 

Stiles thought about it, thought about the memories he shouldn’t have. He thought about the schedule, the times, and felt the adrenaline pick up again.

“According to the schedule, Monroe is already on stage. We might have time though.”

After that, there was a lot of movement. They needed Stiles, needed him to help, so they put their guns up and as one turned towards the stairs.

Stiles was going to save the day.

\------

They ran through the doors of the hotel and started through the lobby before Erica turned around and slammed Stiles to the floor.

“You’re a liability. Tell us where the bomb is, now.” 

Stiles thought about it, thought about the layout of the hotel and the quickest way to get to the lecture room. He nodded and said, “Okay, fastest way is…” and then scrambled to his feet and took off through the hotel. He could hear Erica and Derek calling after him but he didn’t care. He knew this place like the back of his hand right now.

He pointed at the right doors as they reached them and Derek threw them open. Declan Monroe was at the front of the room speaking to the people gathered. And there were definitely a lot of people in there.

“Okay Stiles, where is it?” Stiles glanced at Derek who had asked so calmly and then around the room. He didn’t know, couldn’t see what the bomber would put the bomb in to blend into the room. It could be anywhere, it could be…

In that covered tray. He pointed and the three of them rushed over to it. Erica opened it slowly. There was C4 attached to switches, wires attaching it to a simple laptop that had a clock counting down on the screen.

“What are you doing?” A security guard came up to them but Erica flashed her badge and ordered the guard to evacuate the room, the entire hotel just in case. 

“Do you remember anything else about the bomb? Come on Stiles, think,” insisted Derek. Stiles thought about it but he didn’t know. At least, he didn’t think he knew.

A mechanical tone came from his back pocket and Stiles smiled apologetically at Erica and Derek as they both rolled their eyes and bent down to inspect the bomb. He answered the call with a rough, “What?”

“I’m so sorry about interrupting your date Stiles,” apologized Scott. There was a pause in which Stiles told Scott it wasn’t the best time but Scott continued on. “I know dude, but Greenberg thought we were lying about the porn virus and he looked it up on almost all of the display laptops. They’re all fried.”

Stiles opened his mouth, to berate Greenberg or tell Scott he couldn’t talk or something, but he paused for a moment. He murmured that he’d have to call Scott back, hoped he’d live long enough to do so, and hung up.

As he bent down in front of the computer, Erica put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Her voice wasn’t friendly as she said “This is a bomb, not a playstation.” 

Stiles brushed her hand off of his shoulder and looked between her and Derek. “It’s a computer,” he started. He paused and then rephrased. “It’s a bomb attached to a computer which is attached to the connection of the hotel. We sell these at Buy More, I know how to bypass it. Let me do this, I can do this.”

He waited and finally Derek nodded at him, muttering “It’s our only shot” to Erica as they both turned to watch Stiles work.

Stiles bypassed the blocks and opened the internet. He took a deep breath and typed in the porn star’s name.

“You’re searching for porn at a time like this?” Derek’s voice was dry but Stiles didn’t respond. Instead he clicked on the right link and held his breath.

Page after page of porn popped up faster and faster until the entire screen froze, including the clock. Finally the laptop shut itself off.

“Porn saves the day,” Stiles intoned with a false bravado. He just defused a bomb. Using porn.

“Oh god. What if I’d been wrong?” He felt his hands shake a little and Erica pat him on his shoulder. 

“Try not to puke or cry on the C4, please and thank you.” 

Then she was gone, leaving Derek and Stiles alone while she dealt with the cops that came barreling into the room.

“Some uh… some first date, huh?” He glanced up at Derek who simply nodded and moved off to talk to someone in an important looking suit.

More and more people came into the room. Stiles had to explain to a few different people, including the head of the bomb squad, how he had stopped the bomb. That’d been interesting. Soon he found that he couldn’t see Erica or Derek. He resigned himself, said that it was just a job and now they were gone, and made his way out of the hotel.

In the distance he saw both of them talking. He made his way over and caught the tail end of Derek’s sentence.

“—his family, his friends. What about them?” 

Stiles stepped forward, pulled his hands from his pockets and looked between the two big and bad government agents. “What about my family and friends?”

They both shook their heads, tried to brush it off, but Stiles wasn’t going to stand for it. Not after the night he’d just had.

“No. My friends, my family, you’re keeping them out of this. And don’t give me that look Erica. Jackson sent me the email and now I have this computer in my head and all of these secrets. Which means you listen to me. And all I want to do right now is go home.”

He started to walk off but Erica grabbed his arm. He pulled his arm out of her grasp and shook his head. “You guys need me. So this is how it’s going to be.”

And with that, he made his way away from the hotel. The Nerd Herder was in a small heap in the middle of the street. He knew he’d have to explain that to Finstock but for now, he wanted nothing more than to just go home and forget tonight ever happened.

He flagged down a cab once he was out of view of the hotel and gave his address. His watch told him that it was late enough that Lydia should be asleep. That meant he wouldn’t have to tell her about the date tonight.

At least he wouldn’t have to lie about how disastrous it had been as to why he wouldn’t be seeing Derek again.

Halfway home, he told the cab driver to pull over. He passed over the cab fare plus a nice tip. He hiked through the woods, bypassing benches and lamp lit tables for a particular spot. Up at the top of the hill was a large rock that overlooked the town part of Beacon Hills with the woods and forests behind him. He sat down and watched the city lights.

He barely even noticed when the sky began to lighten. He turned it over in his head, the fact that Jackson sent him the computer and that he’d defused a bomb not ten hours ago. He watched the sky and the cars in the distance and wondered if it was pointless. It was him against the CIA, against the NSA. It wasn’t like he could run and hide.

A twig snapped behind him and Stiles turned in a rush. Derek waited a minute for Stiles to turn back to the view before he continued to advance. He paused next to the rock before he sat down and looked out over Beacon Hills with him.

“How long have you been there?” Because Stiles had walked through the woods for a good forty five minutes before he got there, had never told anyone that this is where he went when he needed to think.

Derek shrugged and stretched out his legs as he said “Since last night. Wanted to give you some time to think.”

It wasn’t an opening, it wasn’t Derek asking him to tell him what was on his mind. But Stiles needed to know, needed to say it.

“I can’t run, I can’t hide, right? That’s what I thought. Yesterday I was fixing computers for a living and now I find out that I have one in my head. I just don’t know why Jackson did it. I hadn’t spoken to him in years,” Stiles trailed off and watched the city in silence for a moment before he added, “So what’s going to happen to me now?”

Derek turned to face Stiles, waited until Stiles turned his full attention to Derek. His voice was soft, understanding, as he said “Nothing for now. You’ll go back to your life, the Buy More. We’ll protect you if we need to. And you’ll help us.” 

Stiles nodded and looked down at his hands.

“What about my family and friends? Are they going to be in danger because of this?” He thought about his dad on a beach somewhere, of Scott and his mom who were like family to him, Lydia in her scrubs while she yelled at Stiles for not picking up his dirty dishes.

“Tell them nothing. We’ll protect your identity and they’ll be kept in the dark.”

Stiles nodded again, decided that was best. It meant lying which he wasn’t a fan of, but if it kept them safe, he’d do it a thousand times over. He scrubbed a hand over his face, thought about how badly he’d wanted to just go to sleep last night when he’d left the hotel, thought about the adrenaline of the chase, car accident, of the Mexican standoff with Erica and Derek on the roof of that building. He thought about the bomb and the laptop and how he had felt like a superhero when he stopped the bomb and saved the day. He thought about Erica’s face when she’d seen what he’d done. He thought about Derek… about Derek…

It had all been fake; Derek and Erica being interested in him, the date, the hand-holding, the dancing. It had all been a ruse to get closer to Stiles, to figure out about what Jackson had stolen. The computer that was now in Stiles’ head.

He thought about the ninja like figure in his living room, his laptop crushed beneath his heel. He thought about how the black outfit had revealed the exact same physique as the guy that was sitting next to him. Derek.

Everything was a lie, what was a little bit more.

“I need you to do me a favor Stiles,” insisted Derek. When Stiles looked at him to let him know he was listening, Derek gave him one of those disarming smiles and said “Trust me.”

Stiles nodded, tried to smile back, but he couldn’t stop thinking about all of the lies. He almost felt like he couldn’t breathe but he smiled and turned back to look at the city.

He had to trust Derek. He didn’t want anything to happen to Stiles because Stiles was the computer. At least he knew he’d be safe.

\------

Lydia had been livid with Stiles when he’d gotten home. She yelled, ranted, and raved about him being out all night without so much as a phone call. Scott had left so many messages that Stiles was pretty sure his phone was about to explode. He apologized, begged Lydia to just give him the benefit of the doubt here, and then slipped into his bedroom.

Just as he face planted into his bed, his alarm started to blare. He rolled over to turn it off and heard Lydia yell out a “Have a good day at work” as she slammed the front door shut. He groaned but Derek had said that he needed to go about his life like normal.

He showered away the evidence of the night before and got dressed quickly. He grabbed something to eat on his way out and then swore when he realized that he didn’t have the Nerd Herder. He called a cab and by time it got there, he was already late.

When he finally made it to the store, Finstock was waiting at the doors for him. He glared at Stiles but didn’t say anything, probably because Stiles was the best employee in that store. Instead he pointed at the home appliance aisle.

“New hire to train. You’re on it. I’ll be in my office if you need me, but you better not need me.” He slipped out of view and Stiles shook his head. He wasn’t aware they were hiring.

There in home appliance, wearing the female’s regulated Buy More green shirt and a black skirt that was definitely shorter than regulation, was Erica. She dusted off her nametag and smiled viciously at Stiles. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Instead, from the corner of his eye, he spotted someone else.

Derek, dressed casually and holding a green Buy More basket, was making his way through the aisles. He nodded to Stiles, barely glanced at Erica, and continued to look at the items on the shelves next to him.

Stiles felt his heart speed up a bit, felt his palms get sweaty. He’d thought there would be a distance, that they’d be there if he needed them and that he would just see them occasionally. Apparently not. Apparently they were going to be insinuating themselves into his life.

He took a deep breath and then another one before he pasted on a fake smile and went to train Erica. Life like normal, he told himself as he showed her how to use a scanner gun. 

Don’t freak out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure I was ever going to finish this story but then I wrote two thirds of this between 2 AM and 5 AM one night after I moved. There might be some typos that I missed in my two quick read throughs. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

After that, things got weird. And fast. Stiles went from a normal life at a possibly dead end job to a not-spy. He went on missions, was told to stay in the car, and never actually listened. He had two badass handler; the best agent the NSA had (Erica Reyes) and the best agent the CIA had (Derek Hale).

Erica warmed up to him eventually. In this case, warmed up to him meant that she stopped pulling her gun on him constantly. She even grudgingly gave him tips and advice on the spy stuff. At the end of the day, she’d even compliment him on his work. Or her version of a compliment which was usually “good job not getting yourself killed Stilinski” as she walked away.

Then there was Derek. It was decided that since Erica already had the cover of working at the Buy More and living in the same complex as Stiles, Derek would have to stick with the cover they already established.

It wasn’t that Stiles didn’t want to date Derek, because he was pretty sure he might actually be okay with it. The problem was that they weren’t really dating. Their “dates” were covers for missions or just covers in general; their flirty conversations always had a double meaning. Every now and then Stiles would think that Derek had let his guard down, had showed a true part of himself, but then Derek would clam up and reveal that he’d been working an angle. 

Plus the missions were insane. Stiles was pretty good at thinking on his feet but being face to face with some of the world’s worst terrorists and criminal masterminds drew him up short. He’d sabotaged bombings, assassinations, and thefts. And every night he went home, lied to Lydia and Scott about his day, and slipped into bed (or the shower if they’d have a particularly nasty mission).

Plus there was that. Two weeks into the cover, Lydia had confronted Stiles with a proposition. She proposed that if he wanted to keep all of his fingers, he needed to bring Derek over so she could assess him.

She’d actually used that word: assess. And while Lydia was this incredibly smart and charming tiny person, one that cried when she watched The Notebook and sometimes got drunk enough to sing Spice Girls songs with Stiles, she was also a little terrifying. He’d done his research and Stiles definitely wasn’t the only one a little scared of his roommate.

So he’d met up with Derek during a stakeout and laid it out on the table. He’d hedged around the topic until he finally blurted out “Lydia wants to meet you,” and waited for the inevitable eyebrow raise. 

Instead, Derek had shocked him by nodding thoughtfully and admitting that it would be good for their cover. They covered their bases of how they met, how long they’d been together, the simple things that both of them already knew. Derek negotiated hand holding and even a kiss, but Stiles had drawn the line.

He didn’t want to cross that, didn’t want to kiss Derek and know that it was fake. Not if he could help it. Lydia and Scott both knew he wasn’t big on PDA so it wasn’t too much of a stretch. 

Derek charmed the pants off everyone there. Allison, who was potentially Scott’s girlfriend and potentially moving into the Martin-Stilinski apartment as their third roommate and found everything to be awesome, talked to him about archery and where they liked to go running. Scott talked at him about video games and balked when Stiles told him that Derek didn’t play any.

Lydia was a tougher nut to crack. She watched them with an eagle eye, didn’t offer anything substantial to the conversation until the end of dinner. While Derek helped Stiles clean up the table, Lydia stood up and, as always, drew all eyes to her.

“Derek, would you mind stepping out into the courtyard with me?” Stiles had swallowed, because he was sure this was it. He could fool Allison who barely knew him, Scott who saw the best in anyone, but Lydia was a different story. She looked for the flaw.

When they came back in, twelve minutes and sixteen attempts to follow them (thwarted by Allison for the most part because Scott was with him on wanting to snoop), Lydia was smiling and Derek was… also smiling? He came in, whispered “go with it,” and bent forward like he was going to kiss Stiles.

But Stiles wasn’t going to go with it. He’d already decided, already made up his mind on this issue, so he turned his head. To the people in the room, it probably still looked like they were kissing, but Derek’s lips were caressing Stiles’ cheek.

Later, after Allison went back to her own apartment and Scott had ridden off on his bike, Stiles escorted Derek out to his car. Lydia was taking a bubble bath so he didn’t have to worry about spies.

Which was a funny thought since he was standing there with one.

“You know you could have blown our cover in there,” accused Derek with a glare. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

He meant the kissing, but Stiles shook his head. This was one subject he wouldn’t budge on. He’d already had to deal with bugs in his room “for his own good”; he wasn’t about to compromise his integrity too.

“It worked out. They oohed and awwed and Lydia even bought it, so it’s fine. What did she say to you, by the way?” Stiles watched as Derek slid into the driver’s seat of his car. He shrugged as he started the engine.

“She said you’ve been happy,” admitted Derek as he drove off. 

It wasn’t a leap really. Yes, sometimes he forgot that their dates weren’t real dates. Sometimes when they were curled up on Stiles’ couch watching television, whispering under their breaths about a past mission or a future mission, Stiles would have to force himself to remember that it wasn’t real.

It was just hard to do because Derek often wore just a tank top or worked out in Stiles’ line of sight or wore really tight pants. He even made the ridiculous Wienerlicious uniform look good. Which was hilarious. Derek was making gourmet hotdogs for every soccer mom and teen girl in the county. And let’s face it; those were the Wienerlicious’ main clientele ever since they’d hired Derek.

There were times that Derek would look at Stiles like he was happy, like Derek wanted nothing more than to just sit on the couch and watch old reruns together. Times when he’d let his hand linger on the small of Stiles’ back or against his hand, his neck. Times when Stiles was sure, his breath caught in his throat, that it was more than a cover.

But then Derek would remind him that Stiles was an asset, that the Intersect—that’s what it was called, the computer in his brain that caused the flashes—was their most valuable weapon. And Stiles would feel the air deflate from his lungs and he’d be resigned to not having what he wanted.

It wasn’t supposed to change. But then again, he probably wasn’t meant to meet a girl with brown hair, beautiful eyes, and a serious attachment to her phone. And sandwiches.

“My entire life is on this thing, I don’t know what I’ll do if…” rambled the girl as she held the phone as if it was something precious, breakable. Stiles reached out but she wouldn’t let it go just yet.

“Listen, I get it, but this is my job. And I’m pretty great at it. And I promise I’ll do everything I can to fix it…” He let his words trail off until she blinked up at him and smiled, offered her name.

“Malia. My name is Malia Tate, I own the sandwich shop just down the road called Coyote Hungry. That phone has all of my recipes on it and I would really, really like it back in one piece.” She held the phone out and Stiles grabbed it from her.

“Of course. Like I said, I’ll do everything I can to fix it. If you’ll just leave another number where I can reach you, I’ll call you when it’s fixed.” 

Malia smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears as she pulled out a business card. He saw the shop number on it and smiled back, tucked it into his pocket.

“Just try not to fret about it. I’ll have it fixed as soon as I can for you.”

She nodded her thanks once more and walked out of the Buy More, looking behind her at Stiles a few times before she finally was out of sight. Stiles chuckled to himself and when he turned, he found Scott with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Dude. Not cool. Derek is a good guy and doesn’t deserve that,” defended Scott. Stiles shook his head, pulled the card out of his pocket and laid it on top of the phone, both of which he put on the counter of the Nerd Herd desk.

“No, Scott, it’s not like that. She’s just… it’s not… and you don’t believe me.” 

Stiles should have been happy that Scott and Derek got along so well because Scott was his best friend and Derek was his boyfriend. The only hitch was that Derek wasn’t really his boyfriend. And if Scott ever got wind of that, ever found out that it was a cover… well, hopefully he never did.

Honestly Stiles wasn’t sure if Scott would forgive him; maybe not for lying about the CIA, the NSA, the Intersect. But he’d definitely never forgive Stiles for making him think that he was in a happy, loving relationship. 

Loving, hah. Derek had a habit of smacking Stiles across the back of his head, of shoving him into doors and closets and cars with no warning. Now normally Stiles would be all for a little rough and tumble in a relationship but this was not the fun kind of foreplay. It wasn’t foreplay at all.

So while Scott stomped off, angry at Stiles’ not-cheating on his not-boyfriend, he caught a glimpse of Erica on her way to him. Shit. She must have seen it too, was on her way to chew him out on the sacredness that is your cover story. Except she didn’t look angry.

Well, more than usual.

She slid up beside Stiles and pretended to skim over some product behind him. Under her breath she murmured “Wienerlicious, five minutes,” and then she was off to help a teenager in the cell phone section.

Stiles watched the teenager’s face as Erica approached, watched as he stammered over his words while Erica simply grinned and grinned wider. She didn’t even need a gun; she could take a guy out with just her personality and looks.

He pushed the thought away and slipped away from the Nerd Herd desk. After he made sure no one was going to stop him, Stiles slipped from the store. Once across the street, he made his way to the Wienerlicious. Inside, Derek was serving a customer. 

And by customer, Stiles meant a soccer mom who was dolled up like she was going to a party. Who was Stiles to judge though; maybe she really just wanted a hotdog before she went to a ball?

“Here you go. Have a good day and come again.” Derek smiled at the women as he spoke, that blinding smile that still made Stiles feel a little off kilter. She giggled and walked backwards, her heels clicking across the linoleum floor awkwardly as she shuffled around tables that she bumped into.

“Oh, I will, I definitely will,” she purred as she left the store. Stiles blinked a few times before he turned to face Derek who didn’t seem to have noticed at all.

“Good, you’re here,” Derek came around the counter as he spoke. “I wanted to talk to you about tonight. Come with me.”

He grabbed hold of Stiles’ hand and dragged him into a supply closet. That must meant that Derek’s manager was working today. Stiles leaned against the wall and tried not to stare at the jugs of gourmet mustard on the shelf beside him.

“Tonight as in dinner with Lydia and Allison and Scott? What about it?” asked Stiles as he tried to pretend that he wasn’t shut in a small space with a very attractive Derek. 

Lydia had told Stiles that they all had to do something together very soon. She’d worded it in a way that made Stiles fear for his life, more than that time he was trying to fly a helicopter by himself. He’d agreed but not before he made sure Scott and Allison were invited as well.

“We already rescheduled once, Stiles,” reminded Derek as he started to sort through the some of the boxes in the closet. “Lydia is going to have questions and we need to be sure we can answer them. So where did we go, what did we do, what were we wearing?”

It wasn’t the first time they had to lie about their fake dates. Stiles racked his brain and then shrugged as he offered up, “The movies to see that new sci-fi flick?”

Derek shook his head and explained that then they might have to answer questions about the movie. Stiles nodded and thought again.

“Okay, how about something ridiculously cheesy. We went to the park for a picnic. You brought the food from here; I brought the picnic ware from Buy More. Afterwards we went on a drive, maybe parked somewhere for a while.”

The more Stiles talked about it, the more he wished this wasn’t one of the dates they had to lie about. He’d like that memory, even if it wasn’t real. Not just the parking to make out part, although Stiles was pretty sure he’d definitely be interested in that memory too.

They were always on the lookout for ways to get this thing out of his head and Stiles knew that if it happened, he’d like to ask Derek out for real. One real date, where there was no ulterior motive, just to see if it was something they could both have. 

Stiles tried not to think like that, tried not to think about “what ifs” and “maybes” and a future that was no more certain than the present. He didn’t like the crushing disappointment that came with all of that.

“Okay, and what did we—“ Derek was about to ask another question when they heard footsteps approach. It was probably Derek’s manager. 

Stiles opened his mouth, he wasn’t even sure what his plan was, but then Derek was right in front of him. He had untucked his shirt from his pants and then undid Stiles’ belt with a quick snap of his wrist. He pressed his body up against Stiles’, tucked his face into Stiles’ neck to make it look like he was sucking on the skin there.

Hopefully the noise that Stiles made was covered up by the door opening, but he was pretty sure it hadn’t. Derek’s hands were hot where they touched his body, even through layers of clothes. Stiles could barely focus, could hear the intruder mention something about mustard and closets and lawsuits, but Stiles didn’t hear it.

All he heard was his heart beat in his ears as Derek reached down to redo Stiles’ belt buckle. Once that was done, Derek moved back and tried to smile in a convincing, shy way. Which was a sight to see.

“Sorry boss, just couldn’t help it,” murmured Derek in a very coy way that was… actually pretty hot. Stiles swallowed a few times, wiped at his mouth because he was pretty sure he’d drooled at some point, and prayed that he wasn’t turning bright red.

Because while the manager might think it was from being caught, he was pretty sure Derek would guess it had more to do with their earlier position than anything.

“I get it,” Derek’s manager intoned with a wave of his hands, “You’re hot for your boyfriend’s body. We can all tell by the way you look at him. Let’s just keep our hands to ourselves while around the food product. The FDA would have a field day with this.”

The manager walked off, leaving Stiles and Derek half in and half out of the closet. Stiles rubbed a hand over his face and tried to laugh, tried to sound convincing, but Derek simply poked his head out to make sure his manager was gone before he stated in his usual tone, “I’ll see you tonight at seven.”

And then he was pushing Stiles towards the door and back to work. He could feel his heart still hammering dangerously in his chest. Now all he had to do was survive the gathering with Derek. And after that little display? Stiles had his doubts about keeping a straight face.

\------

Sushi had proven to be a good choice, at least in Stiles’ opinion. Lydia had picked the place, boasting about the best sushi in town, but the atmosphere was friendly and everyone seemed satisfied with both Derek and Allison so there were no interrogations. 

Allison, dubbed Miss Awesome for her great sense of humor, general perfectness, and utmost badassery with a bow and arrow, had won everyone’s hearts pretty instantly. Stiles and Lydia had been looking for a third roommate, to make bills a little easier, and Allison was new to town and looking for a permanent place. It’d worked out perfectly.

Except for Lydia who realized that that meant Scott would be by more often. She’d already threatened him twice about eating them out of house and home. 

After sushi, on the sidewalk while they discussed if they wanted to do anything else for the night, Stiles watched the way Allison and Scott were. Their relationship was a little newer than his and Derek’s fake relationship, but they were all over each other in an almost innocent way.

Innocent if you hadn’t accidentally walked in on them getting it on in one of the apartment bathrooms. Stiles was trying very hard to get that image to leave him alone.

The point was that Allison was pressed up into Scott, her arms twined around his neck and a smile permanently on her face when she looked at him. Scott had a dreamy smile on his face, the Allison smile as it had been recently declared, one hand on her waist and the other basically in her back pocket.

Stiles leaned against Derek who, somehow, quickly realized what was on his mind. He wasn’t exactly into PDA, but this was more along the lines of how he’d been with his previous dates. His friends would get suspicious if he barely touched Derek. Lydia had already given him a few judging looks when he shied away from Derek’s hand.

Stiles thought about his mom and dad, their love and happiness as he grew up, and he wrapped an arm around Derek’s waist and pointed out various things about their surroundings. Mostly about the different establishments that him and Scott had gotten kicked out of. Derek laughed and leaned further into Stiles, pressed his lips to the shell of Stiles’ ear like it was something he did every day, and Stiles tried to control his heart beat.

Before he could think about it, think about the feelings and how he wanted nothing more than for this to be real, a man stumbled into the group and fell to the ground. Lydia was on him in seconds, checking vitals and yelling for someone to call 911.

Stiles had never seen Lydia in action before. She was very calm, tied her hair back as she used her phone as a light to check for any injuries. She tossed his wallet at Stiles, a quick “Check for ID”, as she started to help the ambulance workers get him on a stretcher.

“That’s my roommate, Lydia Martin, saving that guy’s life!” Stiles crowed as he pulled out the ID, but as soon as he had it, the Intersect kicked into overdrive and he saw flashes of… oh no. “That’s my roommate saving that bad guy’s life?”

Derek must have heard the words because he took the ID and subtly took a picture of it before the passed everything to the ambulance driver. He put his hand on Stiles’ elbow and pulled him towards where he’d parked the Camaro. They’d tossed a quick “See you at the apartment” to Allison and Scott and then were speeding out of the middle of downtown.

Stiles somehow kept from freaking out, even as Derek chatted with someone at the CIA and then Erica about the name of the guy that’d fallen at their feet. He kept calm when they got to the apartment, calm as he called the hospital to check to make sure Lydia’s ambulance had made it. Calm through two cups of coffee and a few more calls to the hospital.

“Dude, Lydia is awesome at what she does. Did you see her go all doctor mode out there?” Scott and Allison started to reenact the heroics of Lydia but Stiles couldn’t pay attention.

“Stiles, calm down. The hospital is a safe place for them to be right now. Erica is running the name but until the surgery is done, we won’t know what’s going on. Just calm down until we know.” Derek had pressed his fingers against the pulse point in Stiles’ neck, urged him to breathe, but before Stiles could even think about listening, the door opened and a very tired Lydia walked in.

“Oh, you’re okay!” Stiles rushed over to Lydia’s side and tucked her under his chin and breathed in her scent, antiseptic strawberries. She pulled away and patted his cheek with a fond smile.

“Of course I’m okay, Stiles. The guy didn’t make it though. He was poisoned,” She gave his cheek another pat, half fond and half exasperated since he hadn’t really released her yet, and yawned loudly. “I’m going to sleep. Night guys.”

She pushed away from Stiles and made her way to her room with a little wave over her shoulder. Allison and Scott agreed to stay over at Scott’s apartment for the night, which was code for sex and Stiles wished he didn’t know that, so soon all that was left was Derek and Stiles.

“Tomorrow we’ll do some investigating. I’ll know more from the higher ups and we can go from there. You’ll be fine?” It should have been a statement, but a slight uplift in the words turned it into a question. Stiles nodded and thought about going to his room before he thought better of it and caught Derek at the door.

He wrapped his arms around Derek’s waist, muttered something about being prepared to be hugged, and pressed his body to Derek’s. It wasn’t sexual or romantic, it was completely for comfort, a thank you for Derek keeping his calm and helping Stiles keep his.

He hated lying to his friends and family, hated that his two very separate lives just crashed into each other thankfully without fireworks. Something needed to change, something needed to happen.

But for right now, he was content to hug Derek and have Derek actually hug him back.

\------

The Buy More seemed more active than usual. There were a few sales running but nothing to explain the influx of customers. Stiles had spent more time than he usually liked to in the cage fixing problems that his other Nerd Herders had simply pushed to the side. He called the owners of each piece of technology, leaving messages for the ones that didn’t answer, and then went back out to the Nerd Herd desk. He’d brought a few of the items with him, the ones that the owners had said they’d be by sometime today, and locked them in drawers at the desk.

A few games on his phone later, plus one frequent crier call from a woman who kept unplugging her monitor somehow, and Stiles was ready to call it a day. He looked up briefly, a quick scan of the premises to see if anyone had noticed how much slacking he was doing, and stopped abruptly at a smiling brunette who was headed his way.

He’d forgotten that he’d called Malia. She smiled gorgeously and then cast her eyes at the phone that he’d pulled from the cabinet.

“Just give it to me straight,” she muttered as she reached the hand not holding a brown paper bag for her phone. Stiles smiled and held it out with a flourish.

“It’s good as new. Well, you know, new-ish. It was just a little factory issue that we’ve discovered a work around for. You didn’t lose anything.”

She squealed, actually squealed, and launched herself at Stiles who caught her just barely. Malia must have realized what she’d done because she pulled back quickly, a light blush dusting her tanned cheeks. And even her neck, it was adorable.

“Thank you. And I brought this. For you. It’s one of the Coyote Hungry’s signature sandwiches. Don’t bother asking what’s in the secret sauce.”

Stiles took the bag happily, a deep inhale into the partially opened top revealed something delicious, and thought about how he could die happy in that moment. And then realized it was entirely possible that he might die when Derek appeared at his shoulder.

“Holy… Derek. Hi. Look, a sandwich! Uh, Derek this is Malia. Malia, this is Derek, my…” And he trailed off, eyes pinging back and forth between Derek’s raised eyebrows and Malia’s slightly dimming smile.

“Your?” She urged, her smile falling a little bit as time passed without Stiles saying “brother, roommate, friend.” Without Stiles somehow giving her hope, which is one thing he couldn’t give her.

“Boyfriend,” Derek’s voice was calm and happy, face friendly as he stretched his free hand out to shake Malia’s hand, but his right hand was clutched around Stiles’ elbow in a way that said he was in a lot of trouble.

“Oh. Oh, sure, yeah. I uh, have to get back to the shop. Thanks for the phone.” And in a twirl of hair and disappointment, Malia made her way from the store. Stiles watched her leave a beat too long if the tug from Derek was any indication. 

Stiles glanced at Derek and tried to read his face, to see if he was upset because Stiles could have blown their cover or maybe if Derek was upset because Stiles had found someone. Because maybe if he did see it, maybe if Derek did have feelings for him, it wouldn’t be so difficult to pretend to date him.

Except it wasn’t there. Instead Derek looked bored. He gestured to the old stock room where Erica was already standing next to the door and said “We got information about the bad guy,” and stalked away from Stiles.

Well. That definitely didn’t answer any questions for him.

\------

The next few hours were a blur. The government had hashed out as much information on the dead bad guy as they could, and on the poison given to him; a truth serum that was tainted, killed the subject if not injected with a cure.

Stiles had been a little amazed that such a thing existed outside of science fiction, but then again he did have a computer in his head. But things went sideways, his worlds crashed once more. Lydia had been poisoned. 

It had been difficult to tell at first because Lydia usually was very honest anyways, but then she’d started acting strange. Erica had come over to tell Stiles that there was interference in their bugs planted in the apartment, meaning that someone had planted their own bug. That’s when Lydia had passed out.

That’s when the blur really kicked into gear. Stiles had stayed by Lydia’s side but they knew without the cure, she wouldn’t survive. Derek had tried to get him to calm down, tried to explain that they would figure it out, but Stiles couldn’t hear it. Lydia was lying in a hospital bed, red hair limp against a pale blue pillowcase, and Stiles couldn’t stand the thought of not having her to come home to. 

He had snatched the bug out of Erica’s hands and laid the trap. When it came to Lydia, to any of his friends or family, he would do whatever he had to. Erica and Derek had been less than pleased, but they usually were when Stiles was involved.

The terrorist who had killed the first guy, who had poisoned Lydia, had come to finish the job. Erica was there instead and while their intention had been to catch him, to force him to give them the cure, Stiles had stumbled into the guy and he’d dropped a vial with some sort of gas in it.

The serum. Derek, Erica, Stiles, and the bad guy were all exposed. In the chaos, the bad guy disappeared.

This time saving the day came down to Erica and Derek. They somehow found who the guy was, Matt something or other, and found where he was holed up. Stiles had been along for the ride, trying to keep truths from spilling out of his mouth. Truths like no, he wasn’t going to stay in the car and no, he hadn’t listened to any of Erica’s warnings those first few missions, and wow did Derek smell great.

That last one had been embarrassing. 

They’d found the cure, one vial stuffed in Erica’s pocket as she took her own and headed towards the door. She told them she’d administer it to Lydia, leave the clean up to Derek. Clean up because Matt was very unconscious. They forced a cure on him, because a dead terrorist wasn’t able to give information to the United States government. 

As Derek and Stiles each held up their own vials, Stiles felt the serum rushing through his veins. He’d had so much on his mind these past few weeks, had so many damn thoughts warring for his attention. He reached out and stopped Derek’s wrist, halting him from taking it just yet.

“I have to know,” breathed Stiles anxiously, palms sweaty and throat tight. “I have to know if there is anything actually between us. I have to know if there’s a chance, because I want there to be one and I need to know if you want that too.”

There, he thought, I’ve put myself on the line. He took a deep breath and waited as Derek looked down for a moment. Then he sighed himself and looked back up at Stiles.

“No, Stiles. There’s no chance.”

He downed his cure, watched until Stiles did the same, and then left to call Isaac about cleaning the apartment and bringing CIA agents to collect Matt. 

It was all a blur but that part stood out so clearly.

\------

Seeing Malia in the parking lot had come as a surprise. The Buy More shared a massive parking lot with the shopping mall that Coyote Hungry was part of, but he usually parked the Nerd Herder in the employee parking lot on the other side of the store. He’d been on his way back from Wienerlicious, an awkward debrief with Derek that ended up being both of them pretending the other wasn’t there, when he’d seen her.

“Malia, hey wait,” entreated Stiles as he crossed in front of a few cars to get to her. To her credit, she did look a little conflicted.

“Hi Stiles,” she muttered as she fumbled with her keys, her car at her back. He had her attention; that had to mean something.

“I just wanted to explain, about Derek,” he began but Malia laughed and turned to her car.

“You have a boyfriend, a very attractive boyfriend. I get it. I’m just really embarrassed at being so forward and…” she trailed off there and turned back to Stiles, a little anger in her features. “And it’s really kind of messed up of you to flirt when you have a boyfriend.”

Stiles nodded because he knew that, he’d listened to Scott tell him how wrong it was after he witnessed their first interaction, but he also felt a little lost. Because while part of him wanted it to be real between him and Derek, wanted it a little more each day, the debacle with the truth serum told him it wasn’t going to happen.

He couldn’t stop hearing Derek’s voice, devoid of emotion, telling him there wasn’t any chance. He didn’t want to live like this anymore. 

“I know that, really, but things with Derek and I are… complicated.” 

Malia’s eyes widened slightly but she shook her head. 

“That’s not an excuse, Stiles. Listen, I like you, but me? I’m not looking for complicated. If things change, maybe you could come find me, but I don’t want to get involved with your relationship problems.”

Her voice was apologetic, empathetic at his plight even, but firm all the same. She pressed her hand to his arm lightly before she turned around and slid into her car. He watched as she drove off, a Coyote Hungry decal on her back windshield. 

The thing was, he could possibly actually be happy with Malia. She was nice, pretty, funny, and she had quirks that made her all the more adorable to him. So maybe it wasn’t the earth shattering attraction he felt for Derek, but things with Derek weren’t real and never could be. Derek was his handler. He was the Intersect. 

And he couldn’t live like this anymore.

That night, he knocked on Derek’s apartment door. It was a nice sized studio apartment, a spiral staircase that led to the bedroom, brick walls and a large window overlooking smaller buildings nearby. Stiles had been there a few times before, mostly right before missions or cover dates, but hadn’t spent much time inside. Derek always herded him away as quickly as he arrived. 

Tonight though, tonight Stiles walked through the door despite Derek’s unwelcoming face when he opened the door. As much as he had wanted to do this over the phone, he needed to do it in person. They could cover all of their bases this way.

“What’s the endgame, Derek? Are we just going to date forever?” 

Derek huffed out a breath before he shut the door. He was wearing a pair of worn and faded sweatpants and a tshirt that looked like it had seen better days. Stiles really wished he didn’t look so good for this particular conversation.

“The CIA and the NSA are working on a way to get the Intersect out of your head Stiles, you know that. The endgame is to keep you safe and to stop any terrorist plots that you flash on until that time.”

Stiles shook his head, bottom lip trapped between his teeth as he paced the length of the living room. Derek was simply watching him, eyes tracking him in a way that usually made Stiles feel comfortable and safe. Tonight it just made him feel even more frustrated.

“So until that time, we just keep pretending to be in love and letting my friends and family and me get attached to you. We get attached and then one day I have to tell everyone that we, what, broke up?” Stiles gestured wildly around the room, hands always moving the more worked up he gets. “It’s already been months, it could be months still. Years? Hopelessly in love and then one day it’s just not there anymore? My friends know me better than that.”

Scott and Lydia had been around long enough to know that if Stiles fell in love, it was going to be a one and done kind of thing like his parents. He could tell early on in relationships if the person was the one or not. This was already his longest relationship and Lydia had recently mentioned off handedly that that meant it was serious.

“It’s not fair to me, to the people I care about, to lie like this when I’m already lying about everything else,” he finished quietly, body tense as the words came out. 

“What are you saying?” Derek’s voice was both gruff and clipped. Stiles took a deep breath and then another one. He’d prepared on the way over but emotions had gotten the best of him.

“I think we need to break up,” laughed Stiles, the irony almost choking him. 

Breaking up when they weren’t really together. He knew he needed the distance from Derek, before he lost his heart completely to someone who was completely unavailable. This way he had a chance for happiness, with Malia or with someone else. Someone available, someone who wanted him too.

“Our cover—“ began Derek but Stiles surged forward a few feet to interrupt him. 

“Will be fine and you know it. I’m still best friends with Lydia, so it’s not like I can’t be friends with an ex.”

“The Intersect—“ he tried again, but Stiles had a response for that too.

“Will still be in my head. I’ll still go on missions, I’ll still keep you and Erica updated on my flashes. Nothing will change in that regard.” Stiles gestured around the room and then between the two of them. “This will change, that’s all. We’ll be friends and I can maybe find someone that I can one day love.”

The emotions that crossed Derek’s face were quick and even more quickly shuttered. He took a step back and actually laughed.

“You’re disrupting a CIA and NSA double operation deep cover for a girl?”

Stiles looked down at his hands and tried to will his face not to heat up. He could imagine that’s how it sounded to Derek, could imagine that Derek probably thought even less of him now than he had before. He didn’t want to think about having this conversation with Erica.

“Inviting more people into your life is dangerous,” urged Derek but Stiles shook his head, hands tight at his side.

“I’ve let the CIA and the NSA dictate my entire life since Jackson sent me that email. I’m lying to my friends and family, my roommate was almost murdered, my life is out of my control. Yeah, so I want one thing that’s just for me, what’s wrong with that?”

Derek shook his head and turned around so that he faced away from Stiles. He hadn’t wanted it to come to this, but Stiles had prepared an ultimatum. 

“It’s this or I stop cooperating.” At Derek’s startled sound, although he didn’t turn back around, Stiles stood up a little straighter and explained, “I won’t tell you when I flash, I’ll put everything in danger. I’m the Intersect but you can’t actually make me work for you. I’m doing this because I believe in it. Well I’m putting my foot down and making some demands.”

The silence that followed made Stiles a little uneasy. Erica had joked, in that tone that told Stiles it wasn’t entirely a joke, that there was an underground bunker in an undisclosed location to lock him up in. He imagined that he may have finally tripped the wire that caused that particular trap to be sprung.

Instead, Derek simply sighed.

“Fine. We broke up but are going to remain friends. You can date sandwich girl. Now get out of my apartment so that I can sleep.”

Stiles hovered for a moment before he did as he was told. He didn’t see Derek’s face as he shut the door, but he thought his voice sounded strained. He probably was trying to refrain from killing Stiles. 

Slightly unburdened, Stiles made his way to the elevator. He’d give it a few days, because fake relationship or not he wasn’t an asshole, before he contacted Malia. Lydia and Scott would be difficult about it, but when he explained that they were still going to be friends, they’d accept it. They knew how he was, how he felt about relationships. 

It was going to work out.

\------

The front of Coyote Hungry looked daunting. Stiles had walked past it a few times in the past week, trying to work up the nerve to walk in. Each time he had kept walking and told himself he’d do it the next day.

News of his and Derek’s break up had been met with mixed emotions, to say the least. 

Erica had been furious at not being confided before they did something so drastic. She also guessed that it had something to do with Malia and had spent the last week and degrading Stiles at every turn.

Scott had been so confused, kept asking Stiles if he was sure this is what was right. Even Allison who barely knew Stiles seemed to think that maybe he’d reacted hastily. There’d been talk about sitting “the two love birds” down to talk out whatever issues they thought they had. Ultimately Scott came around to Stiles’ side because he knew Stiles knew what was right for him.

Lydia hadn’t said much about it. When he had told her, she simply stared at him before she asked him to hand her the orange juice. She hadn’t brought it up since, edged out of the conversation if Derek was brought up.

He kept saying that they were still friends, made a point of pretending to hang out with Derek when really he went to the rock in the woods. His claim that they were still friends seemed to soothe Scott and Allison but didn’t seem to ruffle Lydia’s feathers in the least.

Derek, however, was having too much fun with it. The first few times Stiles saw him, Derek had affected a hurt look that made Allison look like she wanted to adopt him. After that, he kept his features schooled into a cool indifference. 

Finstock had caused an uproar when word somehow reached him. He exclaimed loudly on multiple occasions, and once over the PA system before Stiles was able to disconnect it, that Stiles would never find anyone like Derek that would want to touch his body parts willingly.

Finally, eight days after the fateful conversation, Stiles walked through the doors of Coyote Hungry with his head held up high. He was ready for this. He could do this.

Malia looked up at him and when she saw him, her face lit up. Stiles smiled back as he gestured to a table near the windows. They had a lot to talk about.

\------

“I’ve got to admit, her sandwiches are pretty awesome,” confided Scott as if he hadn’t wanted to admit it. 

Malia had come over, two weeks after they officially started dating, to meet Stiles’ friends. Lydia had been a little offended when Stiles said that Malia had offered to bring sandwiches from Coyote Hungry and instead made a delicious lasagna. Scott however had frequented Coyote Hungry a lot the past two weeks, although nothing had been said to Lydia about that.

“Dude, I know, right? She makes a Reuben that literally made me have a religious experience.”

Malia was close enough to hear that and grinned at him. He smiled back and squeezed her shoulder as she turned back to continue talking to Allison about some movie or tv show. Lydia was sitting in her favorite chair, eying Malia in a way that made Stiles think of vultures circling a wounded animal.

He’d half expected Lydia to call Malia out onto the porch like she had Derek, but she didn’t. She was politely, coolly so, and never outright hostile, but it was obvious she wasn’t taken with Malia. It had been her suggestion to have her over though, so Stiles was going to take the win.

In the past two weeks, Stiles had gone on three missions. Some of his flashes didn’t require any effort on his or his handlers’ parts, but he had kept his word to keep Derek and Erica in the loop. 

There was a knock at the door and Stiles was the closest so he opened it. A tall, wide shoulder black guy stood there with a disarming smile.

“Hey, I’m looking for Erica Reyes’ apartment,” he said meaningfully. Stiles cast a look at the other people in the room before he pasted on a wide smile.

“I’ll show you where it is. Be right back guys,” 

Once they were in the courtyard, Stiles eyed the larger man carefully. The guy pulled out a badge, Vernon Boyd, and told him he was with the NSA.

“Erica had to go to DC for a meeting that can’t be done over webcam. Nothing to do with the Intersect, don’t worry. I’ll be your temporary NSA handler. I’ve already met with Agent Hale,”

Stiles nodded and then shuffled his feet a little before he continued towards Erica’s apartment, across the courtyard. He gestured at the door but the agent didn’t budge.

“You’re going to want to stop by here after your guests leave. We have some things to go over. Derek will be here in about an hour.”

Stiles briefly wondered why Derek couldn’t be there now, wondered if maybe Derek was on a date. He shook the thoughts from his head and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

“I should get back. See you in an hour Vernon.”

A hand on his arm stopped his retreat. Vernon narrowed his eyes at Stiles and said lowly, “It’s Boyd or Agent, never Vernon,”

Stiles nodded and then let out a “Don’t blame you” before he took off for his own apartment. No reason to go easy on the new guy.

Almost an hour later, Scott and Allison went to Scott’s place. Which still meant sex and it still weirded Stiles out. Malia left a little later after pressing a lingering kiss to Stiles’ lips. After they were gone, but still before he had to be at Erica’s apartment for the meeting, he started to help Lydia clean.

Lydia had been perfectly polite, told Malia she was welcome to come by anytime, but it still didn’t feel right. The more Stiles thought about it, the more he thought that Lydia hadn’t liked Malia. When he brought it up, Lydia merely scoffed and turned to face him, her hands on her hips.

“Of course I liked her, Stiles; she’s a great girl and she obviously makes you happy.”

He hadn’t been expecting that. He scraped the last of the lasagna into a Tupperware dish and snapped the lid in place as he tried to imagine Lydia liking Malia but unable to get it to fit with her behavior.

“You were kind of cold. Plus, you didn’t take her out onto the porch like you did Derek.”

The way Lydia’s eyes lit up at that made Stiles think he had just made a terrible mistake. He turned to the fridge where he was putting the leftovers but Lydia didn’t need to see his face to comment.

“Why are you comparing her to Derek?” Lydia’s question could have been taken innocently if it wasn’t for the way she was staring at Stiles.

“I’m not,” he tried to reason, but Lydia’s raised eyebrow and toe tap told him he wasn’t going to get by that easily. “Why are you comparing her to him?”

Tables turned, Lydia didn’t look caught out the way Stiles had expected. Instead she seemed almost happy with the question.

“Malia is wonderful and I know you’re happy with her and you like her, but it doesn’t change the fact that you aren’t as happy with her as you were with Derek.”

Stiles had tried to explain it when he’d talked to his mom’s gravestone a week before, the way Malia made him feel and how it differed from what he felt with Derek. Things with Malia were simple and easy and comfortable, whereas things with Derek had burned hot and fast and, most importantly, fake. 

He couldn’t say these things to Lydia, not without explaining why he was using the word fake. Instead he took a deep breath and turned around to face Lydia head on. It was the best way with her.

“Things didn’t work out with Derek, Lyds, okay? I’m with Malia. I get that you want me happy but it doesn’t really matter who made me happier. I’m happy now.”

Lydia eyed Stiles carefully before she nodded and turned to the sink to begin the dishes. Stiles waited a few moments before he joined her, to rinse as she washed. They worked in silence until Stiles caught a glance at the clock and realized if he didn’t want to be late, he needed to leave.

At Erica’s apartment, Boyd let him in before he even knocked. Derek was at the table, eyes trained on a packet of papers in front of him. Stiles sat down across from him and then looked between the two of them.

“Okay, I’m here. What’s up?” 

He hadn’t flashed recently, hadn’t heard anything about a possible mission.

Derek looked uncertain but Boyd sat down and crossed his arms over his chest before he came out and asked simply, “What do you know about your girlfriend?”

This was almost too much. Stiles felt his blood pressure rise and he tried to count to ten to get it lowered. Before he could say anything, however, Boyd pulled the packet away from Derek and slid it over to Stiles.

Stiles read the name, Devon Jacobs, and felt a flash coming. Mob, guns, bombs; it all came and went, leaving Stiles feeling sick. Interspersed in the images was an image of Malia Tate, going by a different name. Devon’s ex. 

“Oh god my girlfriend is in the mob,” groaned Stiles as he let his head fall to the table.

“We have no reason to believe that Malia is still involved in the dealings with Devon and his syndicate. However we do know that Devon is in Beacon Hills and that Malia has taken his calls.”

Stiles looked up at Derek and then flopped his head back to the table. This was ridiculous. His life was ridiculous. 

“Devon Jacobs is here to collect a time sensitive package. Research indicates it’s going to be a bomb unlike what we’ve seen before.” Boyd pulled some files from the packet and Stiles glanced at them, but the Intersect was quiet. At his minute shake of the head, Boyd finished with, “The package arrives tomorrow and the bug we planted on Malia’s phone has her meeting with Devon tomorrow afternoon.”

Stiles thought about Malia. He thought about her habit of naming sandwiches after old rock songs, how she named deli meats when she was panicking, her lips and eyes and hands and every part of her that Stiles had hoped he would one day fall in love with her.

Even when he tried to separate himself from the Intersect bullshit, it came back in spades. He cast a quick glance at Derek whose face was impassive.

“So what’s the plan?”

\------

The plan was for Stiles to join Boyd and Derek as they performed surveillance on his girlfriend. Malia had sent him a text that morning that said she would be busy with work all morning but would call him later that afternoon. NSA and CIA intelligence said that the package would be at the docks at approximately 1:00 PM.

At 12:59 PM, Stiles watched as Malia pulled into the parking lot across from a sketchy looking warehouse. He watched as she locked her car and made her way into the warehouse. He waited for a moment before he cast a glance at his handlers and slipped out of the car.

They each called out for him, “Stilinski!” in Boyd’s no nonsense voice and “Stiles!” in a frustrated tone from Derek. Stiles ignored both and slipped into the warehouse behind Malia.

She greeted Devon Jacobs, a slimy guy with an earring and a tattoo on his neck, and then was directed to a wooden crate on a table. He watched from a hidden vantage point as she carefully lifted the lid and then, satisfied that her bomb was in one piece, gave Devon a hug. Devon said something that made Malia laugh and then he left the room.

Malia was just putting the lid back onto the crate when Stiles realized he was moving. He cared about her, mob or not, and he couldn’t let something happen to her. When she saw him, Malia’s eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped.

“Stiles are you… did you follow me?!” Her voice raised an octave, disbelief warring with caution as she glanced at the crate. Stiles moved forward and went to the crate himself.

“Yes, because I know that you’re mixed up in something and I care about you. I’m trying to help you,” he implored as Malia made to grab the crate before he could get there. 

They struggled over it until Stiles tripped and the crate went crashing into the floor. Stiles had just a moment of panic, imagining a bomb going off and no one being able to identify their remains, before he saw what spilled out of the crate. Meats. Different varieties of meats.

“I know it’s a crime,” Malia grunted as she swept the meats into the partially broken crate, “but these are the highest quality meats. I can’t believe you followed me.”

Stiles reached for what he thought was some sort of sausage and held it out to her. She glared at him and snatched it from his hand. With a deep breath, she hefted the crate up and turned towards the entrance of the warehouse.

“I don’t think I can be with someone that follows me.” 

With that, Malia took off out of the warehouse. Stiles watched her go, mind still reeling from what just happened. Then he found himself trying not to laugh as he realized exactly what happened.

Malia may have just broken up with him for following her to a warehouse where she picked up imported meats from her mobbed up ex-boyfriend. The laughter bubbled up and Stiles slumped against the table the crate had just been on. 

He’d been so ready to give up on their relationship, wanted to protect her just because he liked her. God, what a way to realize you don’t really want to be with someone, he thought as he wiped at his eyes. 

There was the sound of gunfire and Stiles jerked to alertness. Derek and Boyd! They still thought there was a bomb! He rushed towards the door, moved through empty rooms before he came across the people with the guns. He opened his mouth, intending to tell them that the time sensitive package was meats, but Derek grabbed his arm and yanked him up some stairs and down a hallway.

“It was just meat!” yelled Stiles as Derek shoved him into an open part of the warehouse. They were away from the shooting, although it sounded like it might be over. Derek had his gun out and was clearing the empty space they were in. The only thing there was a crate the size of a small motorcycle.

“No, it wasn’t,” shot back Derek as they made their way towards the center of the room, closer to the crate. “That was a separate package, something innocuous and unrelated. The other package is still a threat and it’s…”

His words trailed off because he was staring at the crate. He shoved his gun into the back of his jeans and started to dismantle the crate. Stiles watched in fascinated horror. He knew what was going to be in the crate. And this time it wasn’t going to be illegal meats.

The device was about the size of a large trashcan. There was a clock on the front, counting down with barely two minutes left. Derek turned immediately and pushed Stiles away.

“Get out of here,” he commanded as he turned back to the device but Stiles didn’t budge. When Derek tried again, Stiles grabbed his hand and squeezed it so hard that it had to hurt.

“No,” he said simply as he stared at the device. Maybe he could flash, he thought briefly; maybe he could save them like he did that first time. “If you’re here, I’m here.”

Derek shook his head, probably wanting to say something about keeping the Intersect safe, but the clock was ticking down and he simply shut his eyes. When they opened, he tried to look over the device as if he could maybe dismantle it by hand like he had the crate.

“It’s not in the Intersect,” whispered Stiles as he stared at it. A bomb. He was within five feet of a very powerful bomb. “The blast radius will take out Beacon Hills, maybe some nearby towns.”

He thought of his dad, safe on the coast. Then he thought of Lydia, of Scott and Allison. He thought of never getting to tell his loved ones goodbye. He thought of all the people who weren’t going to survive. He thought about Malia, probably just a few miles away with a crate of illegal deli meats in her backseat. 

Derek was next to him and Stiles had to admit that if he was going to go, this wasn’t too bad a way for it to happen. It would probably be painless. And he was with Derek. Derek who he wanted to hate because it was better than loving him, but Stiles knew it was hopeless. He had loved Derek from that first fake date. He’d gotten to know the CIA agent since then and the love had become something real and tangible, but it was still all a lie.

Stiles looked over to the device, watched as the clock ticked down thirty seconds left, and then looked at Derek. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hand still wrapped around Derek’s, and wondered if he’d get to see his mom again.

Then there was a hand on his neck and a mouth against his. He groaned, hands immediately going to Derek’s face and neck to pull him closer. Thirty seconds left to live; if Derek wanted to kiss one last person before he died, Stiles was okay with it being him.

Stiles tilted his head and licked into Derek’s mouth, accepted Derek’s tongue and then added teeth. His heart was rattling about in his chest, fingers tight in Derek’s hair. He never wanted to stop kissing Derek. 

A cough caused Stiles and Derek to pull back. Erica and Boyd stood side by side, matching smirks on their stupidly smug faces. Stiles looked over at the bomb and read 0:00. It didn’t go off.

“Apparently time sensitive meant that if it wasn’t activated, it died. That’s what I learned in DC,” purred Erica as she turned around and started to walk away. Boyd was on his phone, eyebrows still raised in their direction, as he gave NSA cleaners the address.

Stiles glanced at Derek, still pressed close. Derek slowly removed his hands and cleared his throat. His cheeks, neck, and ears were lightly tinged pink. Stiles probably looked the same. They separated another step and Stiles awkwardly coughed into his hand.

“I need to go debrief the higher ups,” explained Derek as he started away. Stiles watched his back and bit down on his bottom lip.

Well. That was new.

\------

“Wait, are you back with Derek?” Scott was understandably confused. Derek had dropped Stiles off at the apartment and Scott, Allison, and Lydia had all watched the awkward moment where Stiles had hugged Derek in the car.

“Uh, yes? No. Maybe. I don’t know,” sighed Stiles as he plopped onto the couch. Allison joined him while Scott grabbed some drinks from the fridge. Lydia was standing near her usual chair, eyes trained on Stiles.

“What happened to Malia?” Lydia’s voice was soft, not pushing the way he would have expected. And not judging. 

“I kind of messed things up? I mean, I wasn’t really thinking we were going to last forever. I didn’t see a future with her.”

Scott sat down on the other side of Allison and handed everyone their drinks. Lydia sat in her chair and they all focused on Stiles. Usually he wasn’t big on being the center of attention but right now he kind of needed the comfort and solidarity of his friends.

“And you could see a future with Derek?” Allison’s voice was soft, calming, and Stiles looked at her.

He thought about her and Scott, how they were just starting out but seemed to already be one. He glanced over at Lydia who was watching Stiles with a small smile, as if she already knew the answer. And then he thought about Derek and how, in those last moments, after his family and these three people, he had thought about being happy with Derek before he died.

If Derek had been the last thing he saw, the last thought he had, the last kiss before he evaporated, he would have been okay. It was thirty seconds and it was eternity. A thirty second future, but it didn’t change what he felt.

“Yeah, I think I can,”

\------

A series of text messages from Erica told Stiles that the original cover of dating was back on. Erica had informed Stiles that Malia had left town, apparently worried that Stiles would turn her in for her imported meats, so he didn’t have to worry about breaking up with her.

He’d meant to apologize, meant to explain that while things didn’t work out, he didn’t blame her. He meant to tell her that he hadn’t realized he loved Derek and hadn’t meant to lead her on.

In none of the texts did Erica broach the subject of what she and Boyd had walked in on. From the few in person conversations Stiles had with both Erica and Boyd, he had the feeling they were actually okay with it?

With the knowledge that they would have to start pretending to be all happy again, Stiles once more found himself knocking on Derek’s door. He wanted to get the story straight so that they didn’t slip up.

And he really wanted to see Derek.

When Derek opened the door, Stiles tried not to remember the last time he had been there. Derek was wearing a pair of close fitting jeans and a button down shirt, sleeves rolled up. He was still as devastatingly handsome as Stiles had always found him.

“So, we’re dating again.”

Derek rolled his eyes and gestured for Stiles to come on in. After he shut the door, they made their way to the couch. They each turned so that they were more facing each other than sitting side by side.

“I figure we should figure out how we got back together,” began Stiles as he picked at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt. “I know that Scott and Allison and especially Lydia are all beyond ecstatic that we might be back together but once it’s official, there will be a lot of questions.”

Derek nodded and leaned back, throwing his arm across the back of the couch. This brought his hand dangerously close to Stiles’ neck.

“We keep it as close to what happened as we can. Without the bomb, of course,” joked Derek, his fingers flexing and barely brushing the skin of Stiles’ neck.

“Yeah, of course. So I had a conversation with Malia about how we weren’t working out and you found me, comforted me.” Kissed me, he didn’t add, but from the look Derek was giving him, he wasn’t the only one thinking it.

“We realized we still had feelings for each other and decided to give it a chance.”

Stiles bit his lip and moved away from Derek’s hand. He leaned his forearms on his legs and took a deep breath. He’d contemplated this conversation on the way over, but something about Derek’s words made him sure that he needed to have it now.

“I need to know. Why did you kiss me?”

His question seemed to catch Derek off guard. He moved so that he was mirroring Stiles’ body language.

“I could answer a number of things, but the honest answer is that I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while now. When I thought we were going to die… Well I didn’t want to die without having done so.”

Stiles lowered his head, tried to stop his heart from thudding painfully in his chest. This wasn’t fair, he thought grimly. 

“You said there was no chance. Under truth serum, you told me there was no chance of us.”

Derek moved forward, his fingers barely brushing against Stiles’ hand before moving to cup his jaw. The pressure there made Stiles head raise enough to make eye contact with Derek.

“I went through rigorous training with the CIA before I was allowed undercover. One of the things I was trained to resist is the chemicals in most truth serums.”

With that, Derek used the hand on Stiles’ jaw to angle him into a kiss. It was soft at first and Stiles gasped as the meaning hit him. He pressed roughly against Derek’s lips, hands clutching in Derek’s shirt and trying to commit this moment to memory.

“That night, at the Indian restaurant,” offered Stiles against Derek’s lips. At Derek’s confused sound, Stiles laughed and explained, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the Indian restaurant. The moment you said you didn’t have a favorite band, movie, or sports team, I wanted to kiss you.”

Derek huffed a laugh as he pulled Stiles closer, kissed him just a little deeper. 

“I wasn’t supposed to ask you on a date, I was supposed to just get close to you. But when I saw your confidence and how capable you were as you worked, I knew I’d regret not taking the chance.”

Stiles groaned and stood up, pulling Derek with him. They made their way towards the stairs, stumbling and laughing between kisses. 

“I’m still your handler,” Derek reminded Stiles, ignoring his quip of “I’ll give you something to handle” to continue his reasons this wasn’t a good idea. “The CIA will probably frown on this. The NSA will probably frown on it. You’re still the Intersect.”

Stiles groaned again, for a different reason, and pulled Derek onto the steps with him. He had started to unbutton Derek’s shirt somewhere around the word CIA and finished the last button at the word Intersect. 

“The endgame is to get the Intersect out, remember?” He kissed his way down Derek’s neck and they somehow made their way up the last steps without falling. Then they were falling as Derek pushed Stiles down onto his bed.

“I won’t be your handler anymore when that happens,” mentioned Derek as he crawled on top of Stiles. He helped Stiles pull his shirt off and they went back to kissing.

“You can come visit me between missions? We can text. I’ve heard sex over webcams is fairly interesting.”

Derek bit down on Stiles’ collarbone and them sat up fully. He looked down at Stiles, eyes clouded a bit with lust, but his smile was soft and sincere in a way that made Stiles’ stomach clench. Or maybe it was his heart that clenched. 

“Maybe I’ll leave the agency. Looking after you would be a full time job, with or without the Intersect.”

Just the thought made Stiles almost want to cry. He leaned up to capture Derek’s lips and pulled him down to him.

Stiles wasn’t going to say “I love you” just yet. They might have been fake dating for months, but this was the first time they had been on the same page since this started. Except apparently that first date had been a real date until the NSA had shown up.

He wasn’t going to tell Derek that he loved him, wasn’t going to explain that this was going to be it for him. He wasn’t going to start planning a trip to the coast so that Derek and his dad could meet. He wasn’t going to think about maybe moving into this apartment. He wasn’t going to think about maybe one day making an honest man out of CIA agent Derek Hale.

He wasn’t going to think about any of that right now. All he was going to think about was kissing and touching Derek, letting himself be kissed and touched in return. 

Everything else would come in time. There was no rush. Later he would be the Intersect and Derek would be his handler.

For now, they were just Derek and Stiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'est fini! Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
